Dollie
by ddp456
Summary: Wendy is ecstatic when Dipper finally gets her the panda-duck doll she always wanted. But then, strange things begin to happen. Cruel things. Dangerous things. Is Wendy's mind simply playing tricks on her, or is there something evil going on behind the scenes? Special thanks to Hedgehog-youtuber for the cover art. Thanks for any reviews/comments/favorites, etc.
1. Chapter 1

_"That's perfect!"_

The day had begun like any other during that fateful summer. The Pines twins, Dipper and Mabel, had snuck away from their chores at their great uncle's Mystery Shack tourist trap to downtown Gravity Falls to pick up a frozen treat to beat the summertime heat.

They walked in tandem, each licking a differently flavored ice-cream cone as they crossed the intersection leading into another cluster of mom-and-pop retail stores. All of a sudden, Dipper froze in mid –step as something particular caught his eye. Gasping aloud, he let the soft-serve carelessly slip from his fingertips as he darted instead of his sister.

"Huh? Hey, Dipper?!"

Mabel followed along, making sure to avoid having her snack plummet to the hard, filthy cement ground. When she finally caught up with her twin, his pie face and palms were plastered against the glass window of a nearby shop.

"There is it, Mabel! I can't believe it…"

"Believe what?" The girl took another lick of her ice cream as she rejoined Dipper. He was staring at a collection of various objects and items carefully placed on three wooden shelves mounted against the windowsill. After scanning the compilation for a few moments, Mabel spotted what had captured her sibling's attention.

On the middle of the second shelf, a seemingly-mint-conditioned purple plushie sat amongst the rows of knick-knacks and refuse. Its sad, round eyes stared back with lifeless, black pupils. The mat of violet hair stapled on top of its head was tangled with a layer of dust. The crooked, yellowed beak that made up the majority of its face was pointed downwards as its entire furry, fluff-filled body was positioned in almost-depressed slump.

"I know that guy!" Mabel exclaimed as she pointed out with her free hand, "That's the panda-duck from Grunkle Stan's Mystery Fair!"

"Correction," Dipper noted, his face still pressed against the see-through pane, " _That's a stuffed creature of indeterminate species -_ and the one thing that Wendy wants more than anything in the world."

"Oy!" Mabel placed her palm against her face as she groaned, "Really, Dipper?"

"Well," he turned away from the sight and gave a modest grin, "That's what she said, at least…"

It has been nearly a week since the Mystery Fair ended, but to Dipper Pines, the effects felt on that day seemed to last an eternity. Not only did the small sleuth manage to injure his lumberjane crush while trying to obtain the same type of toy for her, but said instance allowed his newly made rival, Robbie V., to swoop in to the rescue, and ask the redhead to go steady.

Even when given the advantage of reversing time, Dipper found himself dumbstruck as fate refused to change no matter he did – with the sole exception of making a choice that would leave his twin broken and miserable.

But with this discovery, things could be different. There would be no boundaries limited to time and space and destiny. At long last, he would get a second chance to make things right.

With his mind set, Dipper stepped away from the display and moved towards the shop's entrance.

"Where are you going now?" Mabel asked.

"Where do you think?" He answered with confidence. "I'm going to buy that thing for Wendy!"

"But, Dipper," she argued back, "Do you really think this will change anything with her?"

He paused for a moment, "Maybe it will. Maybe it won't. Knowing my luck, it probably won't. But at the same time, I kinda do owe her something, especially after everything that happened…"

"I forget," Mabel placed a finger against a rosy cheek as she contemplated, "Which timeline is this one? The one where you tried to talk your way out of playing the game, or where the bag of balls exploded on her?"

Dipper replied with a hint of regret in his voice, "The one where I walked away with you and Waddles without saying a single word to her…"

"Oh…" Mabel glanced towards the ground with guilt, remembering the sacrifice Dipper had made for her. When she looked back up, he was already gone. The door in front of her swung back and forth before coming to a gentle halt.

"Dipper! Wait!" The tiny pixie quickly scarfed down the remainder of her sweet delicacy before following him into the mysterious store.

"Whoa…" Mabel looked around her new surrounding, seeing that the inside of the shop was completely different from what the small display led on. Various ancient texts and tomes were tucked away against countless library cases placed against the walls. Unidentified supplies and ingredients were kept in crystal-clear bottles and containers tightly corked. The twelve year old wondered if the spider-webs that decorated the room were real or merely for display purposes.

Oddly enough, in spite of its mostly arcane appearance, the rest of the retailer's wares simply consisted of pure junk. Broken electronics were scattered along a wobbly-broken wooden table. Worn out, archaic clothing was hung by rusty hangars on a chipped railing mounted into a nearby wall. A box at Mabel's feet, placed next to the check-out counter, contained moldy and torn toys that admitted a stench that almost made her want to vomit.

Mabel was perplexed. She couldn't tell if this unholy marriage was supposed to be a magical place of mystique and ancient artifacts or a thrown-together thrift shop. Suddenly, her great-uncle's Mystery Shack didn't see so terrible after all.

When she finally found her brother, Dipper was already trying to capture the attention of the clerk sitting on the other side of the counter.

"Excuse me? Excuse me!"

The thin, middle-aged man sat on a stool with his nose buried in a book. He looked up, his unnaturally pale skin matching the aging of his inventory, with yellow, cat-like eyes at the tiny brown-haired speck before him. With a dejected sigh, he gazed back into his novel and answered in a monotonous tone, "Yes?"

Dipper threw his arm back excitedly, "I wanna buy that doll! The purple one in the window?"

The clerk raised an eyebrow, "You…want to buy that?"

Dipper nodded, "Uh-huh."

Letting out another grunt, the man placed his book on the countertop and promptly dusted off his black dress shirt and pants. He lowered his loafers to the floor and came out from behind the counter. As the attendant passed Mabel, a strange shiver traveled down her spine.

She pulled on her brother's vest, "Uh, Dipper?"

"Hmm?"

"Doesn't this store seem…strange to you? I mean, more than usual? Isn't this the kind of place you'd see in the Journal?"

"Oh, come on, Mabel!"

"I'm being serious! How do you know that thing's not cursed or haunted or something?"

"Ah, you are wise to question, young one…" The man came back with the panda-duck in hand, "But let me assure you, this toy isn't cursed in the slightest. Like all things in this world, rather we be living or inanimate, it does require a certain something in order to function properly…"

"And that is…?" Mabel pried suspiciously.

" _To be loved, my dear_ ," the man replied. "Just like any other doll, all this article wants is to be treasured and appreciated…"

"No problem!" Dipper hastily swiped the doll from the clerk's clutches. " _I can definitely promise it will be! My girl – err- my friend would just die if she was given this little guy…_ "

The elder rubbed his goatee with great interest, "So I see…"

Dipper tucked the panda-duck under his left arm as he reached into his front pocket with his free hand, "How much do I owe you for it?"

Much to Dipper's surprise, the man held out his hand to stop him, "No need. Call me an old fool, but I am a great believer in the delight of young love."

"Really?" Dipper's eyes lit up in gratitude. "Thank you! Thank you so, so much!"

With toy in hand, Dipper bolted from the scene, eager to present the gift to his treasured crush. Mabel slowly trailed behind, taking one last glance at the mystifying clerk, whom nodded respectfully and went back to his station.

She left the store and jogged until she reached her twin's side. Dipper was busy holding the panda-duck outwards, blissfully examining it from every possible angle.

"Well?"

"Well, what?" Mabel asked while trying to catch her breath.

"If some random guy thinks I have a shot – "

"Oh, get real, Dipper!" Mabel bickered back, "That old guy just wanted to ditch that ghostly dollie on you!" She crossed her sweater-covered arms and pouted. "Besides, I thought you said this was all about making Wendy feel better for giving her a black eye?"

Dipper shrugged, "Let's say it's a bit of column A and some of column B…"

"So, this has nothing to do with Robbie taking off for the weekend with his crappy poser band? Quite a coincidence if you ask me…"

"Pfft!" He scoffed at her suggestion, "If that jerk thinks that Wendy isn't cool enough to go with him, that's his problem. Did you know she didn't get as much as an invitation? Besides…" The boy's smile grew as he went over every fine detail of the panda-duck for the umpteenth time, " _A girl has a right to change her mind about "certain things" if she wants to…_ "

Mabel could do nothing but heave in disbelief…

* * *

A short time later, the Pines returned back to their summer residence deep in the Oregon wilderness just outside of the small mountain town. Dipper could barely wait for Mabel to park their "borrowed" Mystery Cart on the side of the roadside attraction before hopping out in anxious excitement.

"Careful there, Casanova," the slightly-elder Pines twin mocked, "You don't want to get yourself run over, do you?"

But Dipper didn't even notice. Holding the panda-duck behind his back, he coughed into his other palm and took a brief sniff, ensuring that his breath didn't reek.

"You know," Mabel added as she opened her driver-side door, "You probably didn't need to do this. I'm sure Wendy's gotten over the whole "black-eye" thing…"

His world seemed to slow to a crawl as he gripped the entrance's handle. His heart pounded like a jackhammer, occasionally making it up to his throat. Dipper started to get second thoughts; doubts ran endlessly through his mind. Why didn't this seem so hard before?

However, his feet were already in motion. It was too late to go back. Before he knew it, Dipper was already through the doorway, and a split second later, his breath was taken away again, for he was standing before the object of his affections.

His secret crush, Wendy Corduroy, sat at her cashier station in the Gift Shop. She leaned over on her stool, her nose buried in the latest teenage trash magazine. The girl silently chewed her bubble gum and flicked a few loose red hairs away from her freckled face, unaware that she was now joined by company.

"Hi, Wendy, I…" Dipper's voice came out as a near-silent whisper. With each passing second, he found himself mesmerized by the high-schooler's smallest action. He added her every finest detail to memory. Dipper could have stood frozen in that spot forever, if not for his sister's inference.

"Uh, Dipper?" Mabel nudged him with her elbow. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"Huh?" He shook himself awake. Dipper knew it was now or never. He took a deep gasp, and greeted his main squeeze, "Hey, Wendy! I…"

"BAH!"

To his horror, Wendy nearly jumped out of her seat. The magazine slipped out of her hands as if by reflex, she protectively covered the left side of her face; most noticeably the green eye that still had some slight red swelling to it.

Dipper shrunk back at Wendy's reaction, as he grew ashamed. He never imagined things would be so tense. To make matters worse, he could hear Mabel trying to stifle ever-growing giggles stemming from the scene unfolding before them.

Wendy looked down at her heartbroken admirer, realizing that she had messed up badly. She lowered her stance and apologized, "Sorry about that, Dipper…" The redhead broke eye contact as she grew embarrassed. "It's just…I'm a little gun-shy about that whole experience…"

"It's cool, it's cool," Dipper tried his best to maintain composure, not letting the horrid memory – the cruel twist of fate gain the upper hand. He forced a smirk, "Maybe I have something that might help you forget all about that…"

As Wendy became confused by the cryptic comment, Dipper pulled the present out from behind his back.

"WHOA!"

Wendy's emerald eyes grew wide as she spotted the panda-duck. Without warning, she lowered her booted feet to the floor and leapt over the counter, making Dipper flinch slightly. She plucked the stuffed creature of indeterminate species from his noodle arms and held it out in front of her.

"No…way…"

The ginger clutched the doll tightly while laughing out loud joyfully. The purple figure swung freely from her arms as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

Dipper's grin grew deeper as he happily watched his cool-natured sweetheart revert to a girlish-giddiness over her new toy. It was exactly the same response he had received in the alternative timeline at the Mystery Fair – _to him, the way things were supposed to be._

"So, does that mean you like it?"

Wendy stopped, "Do I like it? Dude, _I love it!_ It's perfect!" She bent down to meet Dipper eye-to eye. "How – They haven't made this guy in years! Where did you find this?"

"Oh," Dipper hinted, "I have my ways…"

She gave him a suspicious glare, placing a hand against her flannelled hip, "Kiddo, you didn't steal this from that carny, did you? I appreciate it, Dip. I really do, but I don't want you to get in trouble for – "

"No! No!" Dipper waved his hands wildly, "I bought it fair and square! It's legal!" He scratched the back of his brown-covered head, "I…just…figured with everything that happened, this is the least I can do for you…"

"Dipper…" Wendy dropped the doll, and to his surprise, swept his tiny form up in her arms. "Thank you so much! It's so awesome! I still can't believe you did this!"

The twelve-year-old was blown away by the simple hug. He found himself surrounded by an endless amount of copper-colored hair, mixed amid a sweet-smelling perfume blend.

*FLASH!*

Out of the corner of his eye, Dipper seen that Mabel had snuck a quick snapshot with her handheld instant camera. She chuckled as she glanced at the newly-formed photo, "Ah, first hug…definitely going in the ol' scrapbook…"

Wendy let go of the blushing boy and reclaimed her gift. Her spotted-dimples popped out as she smiled. "Looks like I have a new boyfriend now…"

Dipper's heart stopped. He stared up at her with starry eyes, "Really?"

"You bet!" She squeezed the panda-duck even harder, "I love this little guy to death!"

"Oh…" His innards sunk back into his feet.

With doll in arm, the fifteen-year-old went back behind the wooden desk, setting the plushie on the countertop. She pulled her flip-phone out of her pocket and started to take numerous pictures of her present. "I can't wait to show this baby off! Social media, here you come!"

Dipper stepped away from the scene, feeling somewhat pleased and yet dejected by the outcome. Mabel crept besides her brother, "So, is it too early to send out the wedding invitations, or…"

"Not funny, Mabel…"

"Oh, relax, Dipper," Mabel eased him. "I'm just kidding. Besides…" She placed a loving hand around his back, leading him back towards Wendy, "Just look at how happy she is! Isn't that what you really wanted in the first place?"

"Yeah," Dipper started to come around, "You're right. I mean, she's ecstatic. And I guess that what's really important, right?"

"And you got a hug outta it, so it's not all bad, right?"

"True, true…"

As the Pines twins went to take their leave, their super-tall co-worker called out, "Hey, guys? Who do you think I should send first pics to?"

Before Mabel could make a suggestion, Dipper chimed in with a deceitful beam. "I'd say send them to Robbie. _I'd really love to see what he'd think about it_ …"

* * *

Nightfall came later in the day, but by then, Wendy had already returned home to her secluded cabin deep in the Gravity Falls woods. She kicked off her mud-stained boots and crept into the house. Loud, rambunctious laughter could be heard coming from the living room, meaning that her father and younger brothers were already home.

"Perfect," Wendy noted as she passed through the hallway undetected. "They're too busy staring at the ol' boob-tube…"

For once, she was thankful that her family were often easily distracted, leading to her inadvertently being ignored. She looked down at the adorable doll in her arms. This was one of the plights of living with a male-dominated household. This was something that they couldn't understand. It wasn't that she was embarrassed by the gift – heaven only knew what that poor kid that to do to get this for her.

But in this place, such a thing would bring nothing but ridicule if Wendy was seen with the toy. Even worse, she would be seen as soft, losing her edge, having every "girlie" stereotype thrown at her within a matter of seconds.

Wendy closed her bedroom door behind her as quietly as possible. She held her lanky body against the entry, taking a minute to catch her breath. Now that the teen was inside of her safe haven within this house of chaos, she could be herself without fear of being judged.

"Phew!"

The exhausted cashier collapsed face-first onto her bed with a gentle bounce. Her trusty brown flapper hat draped down from her crown of red hair into the floor. The day had been truly trying for her. Mr. Pines had been on one of his rampages, forcing her to inventory and re-price every single item in the Gift Shop. Wendy let out another gripe into her pillow as every possible joint, from her tips of her fingers to the bases of her toes, ached painfully.

Wendy lifted her head up to see her panda-duck looking down at her with soft, beady eyes, almost as it could sense her pain. She smiled at it, remembering how Dipper's present was easily the highlight of her week, yet alone that day.

"I hear you, buddy…"

With a tender hand, Wendy grabbed the plaything and carefully placed it on a nearby empty chair. Her bed was already covered with a various amount of different cuddlies. To her, this special gift deserved to be treated a little nicer than most. She let out a deep yawn and stretched her long arms over her head. It was getting late, and no amount of caffeine and sugar would keep her going.

She unbuttoned her green-flannel shirt and threw it against her left bed-post. Sitting back on the bed, Wendy used her big toes to pull her off her socks before yanking back her comforter. She chose to leave her jeans on due to pure laziness. Now snuggled within her blankets, Wendy reached over and turned her desk lamp off, only to drift into slumber seconds later…

* * *

*HUFF-HUFF!*

Wendy ran endlessly through the spiral hallway; her world was nothing but a blur of psychedelic colors flashing before her eyes. She twisted her head around, looking for any sign of trouble. The young adult couldn't remember how she got here or how she ended up in this situation.

 _All Wendy knew at that moment was that she was in extreme danger._

 _"Mama…"_

As the horrid sound echoed through her head, Wendy took off again, sprinting hard on the balls of her bare feet. Her lungs burned as much as her legs throbbed. Even though she didn't know her current location, it was almost like Wendy's body knew how to respond to every obstacle before her, hurdling and dashing through everything standing in her way.

 _"Mama…"_

All of a sudden, Wendy couldn't feel the hard floor beneath her soles. She glimpsed down to see that she was now running through mid-air! The vague structure containing her had instantly vanished!

"What in the h – "

Suddenly, gravity took hold, having Wendy freefall through the ether. She screamed aloud, and yet, could not make out her own voice in the distance.

 _"Mama..."_

As she plunged further into the darkness, Wendy looked over her shoulder to see two gigantic red eyes staring back at her. The demonic peepers narrowed further as the deep tone shouted at the confused and frightened ginger one last time, shaking her to her very soul.

"MAMA!"

*KRAK!*

*GASP!*

Wendy sat up in bed as another lightning bolt shot through the night sky. A heavy downpour drenched the outside world as countless raindrops splattered against her window. Her breaths grew slower and calmer as her mind came back down to reality.

She ran a hand across her forehead and wiped away a large amount of sweat. Her dark hair was soaked with the remainder of the perspiration. Wendy pulled her locks back as she asked, "What in the heck was that about?"

 _"Mama…"_

Every strand on the back of Wendy's neck stood upright as she could have sworn to hear the horrific voice from her nightmare. She squinted her eyes, glaring ahead to find the source of the sound.

Within the beam of moonlight providing the lone source of light inside of the room, Dipper's panda-duck sat in the same place Wendy had left it. Its lumpy body made it lean over the edge of the given seat. The black-colored eyes seemed to follow Wendy's every moment. The forced smile formed into its bent beak seemed to take pleasure at her panic.

Wendy wiped her face repeatedly with her thumbs. " _Get a grip, Wendy-girl_ ," she told herself. "It's just your mind playing tricks on you. Too many crappy horror movies at night…"

She removed her hands to see that the doll was still giving off an ominous stare. The sense of dread just couldn't be shaken away. Without thinking twice, Wendy grabbed her flannel from the bedpost and tossed it over the doll, covering its nasty glance from her sights.

"No offense, little guy," Wendy explained as she nettled back into bed, pulling her pine-tree blanket up to her head, "But I'm already creeped-out as it is tonight…"

Wendy turned onto her side, facing away from both the thunderstorm and plushie. She closed her eyes, hoping to make it back to sleep without encountering the sinister presence that had invaded her dreams earlier…


	2. Chapter 2

"Y – Y – YAWN!"

Wendy smacked her lips as the beads of sunlight shone through the crystal heart ornament hanging in front of her bedroom window. Her eyelids flickered slowly as the shinedown caressed them, eventually prompting them to open.

The lanky teenager stretched her arms over her head as she grunted once more. The nightmare from hours before was nothing more than fading glimpses of a once indescribable horror. Wendy lowered herself back into her pillow, shutting her green eyes fast while enjoying every passing instance of relaxation.

They instantly reopened as reality set in. In spite of all the comfort, this wasn't the way she was supposed to awaken. As per every other day this summer, Wendy had been jolted awake by the annoying buzz stemming from her cell phone's alarm.

Except she didn't hear one today.

Wendy immediately turned over to her left and looked at the clock on her night stand. The neon-green LED screen displayed 10:45.

"Holy crap!" The redhead sprung upwards, "I'm almost an hour late for work!" She tried to hop out of bed, only to be pulled to the cold, wooden floor with a hard *THUD!* Her feet were still entangled in her sheets.

Still stunned, Wendy tried to gather her wits, "What happened? Why didn't my phone go off?"

While the young adult hated the idea of alarms, she preferred the hum of the cell phone in contrast to the horrific shrieking of her night clock. A nearby sparkle caught the corner of her eye. Her flip phone lied inches away from her current position. She reached out and picked up the cell, noticing that the battery and back cover were missing.

"Figures…" she thought. "I must have been knocked it off the bed during the night…" Wendy freed her legs from the blankets and found the missing components a few feet away. "I have to bolt or else, Stan'll have my head!"

Going off of pure instinct, Wendy picked up the soiled pants and socks that she had thrown aside the night before and put them back on. Without looking, she dashed past her chair and snatched her flannel along with her trapper hat and exited the messy room.

Wendy jumped into her lumberjack boots, picked up her knapsack, and slammed her front door shut, taking a quick moment to jiggle the handle to ensure her home was safely locked tight. She sprinted to her red bike, threw open the padlock binding it to a close by tree, and took off on it with a running jump.

The ginger swiftly pulled her helmet out of her backpack, adjusting the straps as she pedaled furiously. Swerving between the various, towering redwoods wasn't a challenge for someone with as much athletic prowess as her. Wendy ducked her covered head down in an effort to fight off wind resistance as well as avoid the occasional low-hanging tree branch, gritting her teeth tightly as she pumped her legs harder and harder with every passing second.

At long last, Wendy began to relent as she spotted the Mystery Shack in the distance. She let out a sigh of relief, "Phew! I think that's a new record. Hopefully, Stan hasn't made his rounds yet. I just might be able to sneak in without him being the wiser…"

With her place of employment only a few yards away, Wendy went to use her brakes to slow her speed. Instead of grinding to a halt, her speed continued to mount. Confused, she squeezed both handles again, finding that it had no effect on the bike's tires. Her heart skipped a beat.

Not to be defeated, Wendy changed gears and began to peddle backwards, hoping to bring the bike to a grinding halt. Instead, her boots spun freely at an alarming rate, no matter how much force she put into it.

It was as Wendy feared – _both sets of bike brakes weren't working._

Her eyes switched from her feet back to in front of her. Despite riding on the still-rain-slicked grass, her speed was still climbing. Within moments, Wendy would crash into the side end of the Mystery Shack with a painful crush!

Knowing that she had to take a desperate measure, the brave cashier took her feet off the pedals and started to drag them alongside the speeding bicycle. Even though her thick-soled boots, Wendy could feel every scrape and stub. However, it wasn't enough to slow her progress.

"Oh, man! I'm going to have to try a zig-zag…"

With her boots still lugging across the ground, Wendy took a greater hold of her handlebars. As she attempted to twist back and forth, the dampness of the earth pulled control away from her. The red bike slipped out from under her, leaving Wendy spinning out of control across the grassy patches.

"AAHHH!"

*CRASH!*

"Wendy? Wendy!"

Wendy lied on the wet foliage, bruised and dazed, and staring up at the beaming sun as two little specks appeared over her.

"Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Wendy! Are you okay?!"

"Give her a sec, Bro-Bro. She just had a nasty spill…"

The two blurs each grabbed a shoulder and helped Wendy back into a sitting position. After a moment, the helpful hazes formed into her friends, the Pines twins.

Dipper knelt down and placed his other hand behind her back, "Wendy, what happened? Was it a spin-out?"

"Yeah," Mabel chirped in. "We heard the crash from the living room."

"Ohhh…" Wendy grabbed her helmeted head, "No," she answered. "It was my brakes. For some reason, they wouldn't work. I dunno if it was the weather or what happened…"

As Wendy staggered back to her feet, Dipper slipped himself beneath her left arm and tried to support her weight. He made purposely sure to avoid showing any signs of strain or discomfort to avoid embarrassing himself in front of his crush.

In the meantime, Mabel jogged to retrieve Wendy's knapsack. She looked into the now-open bag and smiled at the contents inside. She hurried back to Dipper and Wendy and presented the backpack to her much-taller co-worker, "Here's your things, Wen-Wen. It looks like your "good-luck-charm" was looking out for you!"

"My "good-luck charm?"" Wendy took the knapsack and peered inside, only to find two dark-beady eyes gazing back at her. She gasped aloud as the bag slipped from her hand. The purple panda-duck doll bounced out of the front pocket as the backpack hit the ground. It flashed its creepy-still grin straight at the shaken girl, as if it was pleased by her reaction.

"See, Dipper?" Mabel poked her brother's shoulder, "I told you Wendy really liked that little guy. She even takes it around with her!"

Wendy glanced down at Dipper, whom looked up at her with soft, appreciative eyes. Without a second thought, the kind-hearted teen scooped the fallen toy up and stuffed it back into the knapsack. She turned her face and gave her admirer a forced smirk, "You betcha! Never leave home without it!"

 _"How did this thing get in here? Ugh! I must have swept it up with the rest of my things while racing out the door…"_

Upon seeing Dipper's ray of pure admiration, Wendy returned to the task at hand, "Hey, guys? Give me a second to check out the damage, and I'll meet up with you inside, okay?"

"All right, Wendy. But don't take too long!"

The Pines twins followed her orders, shortly disappearing behind the Gift Shop entrance door. With knapsack slung over her sore shoulder, Wendy walked up to the sprawled out bicycle. While still in working condition, her pride and joy was now covered with several dings and scratches.

She dropped to her knees and traced the brake lines with her fingertips, "What's the deal with you, fella? You were just workin' fine the other day…"

After a minute, Wendy was able to find the problem. Both of the brake lines had been split into two. However, they didn't look as they had been worn by wear-and-tear, or even twisted or tangled into pieces. Instead, it looked like they had been cleanly snipped in the middle.

Wendy stood back up and itched her head, _"This doesn't make any sense. Who would want to cut my brake lines? And why?"_

* * *

"Thanks again for letting me working on my models in here, Wendy. Grunkle Stan wouldn't let me do this in the living room in case I spilled any on the carpet."

Wendy peeked up from her magazine at the pie-faced girl stationed on the chipped floor beneath her, "Hey, it's the least I can do for you helping to cover for me this morning."

Mabel shrugged, "You're just lucky he had a "long meeting" in his private bathroom this morning…"

Both girls laughed at the old man's expense before returning back to their individual activities. On the other end of the desk, well out of Wendy's point of view, Mabel was stooped over a large sterling basin, wiping sweat away from her brow with a sweatered sleeve, as she poured various mixtures into the pan.

At the same time, the super-tall high-schooler stretched her legs over onto the countertop as she went on with her literature. Luckily for her, she was able to rush and do all of her morning chores before her employer noticed.

"P-hew!" A sour stench entered Wendy's nostrils, making her turn her head and pinch her nose shut. "What are you doing down there, buddy? It stinks to high heaven!"

She peeked over the edge of the checkout to see that Mabel had covered her nose and mouth with the front of her pink sweater. "I know it smells, Wendy. But this is how I make my super-solid, extra poseable plaster. I need it to make my Waddles a new friend so he won't so lonely when I'm off with Dipper or the girls!"

"I get that. But what did you put in that stuff?"

Mabel sat up, "Heck, what didn't I put in?" She began to count off on her fingers, "There's glue, two cups of flour, a whole lot of corn starch…"

"…Huh…" Wendy began to understand where all of noxious fumes came from as the inventive pixie went on with her ingredients list.

"…and a pinch of rubber cement for stability!" Mabel shifted back onto her knees and started to stir the batch with an automatic mixer. "Pour over boiling water and let cool for a little while, but not too long or else, it gets too hard!"

The elder Pines stood up and overlooked her creation with a sense of pride. She threw out her hand, "And that's how you make a big batch of…"

"YUCK!"

Mabel spun around to see Wendy holding a hand over her mouth, her freckled face red with embarrassment. She smiled sheepishly at the hurt pre-teen. "Sorry, munchkin, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just, you know…"

The manic artist waved away any concern, "MWOP! It's okay. How about this? Wait until I'm all done, then you can see what the big dealie is for yourself…"

"Sounds like a plan, kiddo…" Wendy agreed. All of a sudden, a sense of wooziness came upon her. The redhead wasn't sure if it was due to all the different chemicals being mixed, or the pure stress from the calamity that occurred earlier in the morning. She set her trash-rag down and looked at the clock to see it was now a quarter past 12 – a more than perfect time for a quick summertime nap. After everything that had happened with her bike, her worn-out body could definitely use a little extra rest.

Wendy flicked the fluffy hat over her face, scooted back into her stool, and crossed her ankles on top of the desktop. "Hey, Mabes?"

"Uh-huh?" The girl answered as she went on blending her compound into a fine paste.

"Do me a favor, will ya? I'm going to take a catnap. If Mr. Pines comes, just give me a jab awake, okay?"

"You got it, Wendy!"

"Knew I could count on you…"

With that, Wendy crossed her arms and closed her eyes. The tender warmth seemed to guide her back to a deep sleep. Her sore frame gradually grew calm and still. She could feel herself slipping away into a peaceful state when abruptly, someone or something clamped down around her mouth!

"HMM-MMM!"

Wendy tried to shout out, but her voice was completely muffled. She tried to rise up from her slanted stool, but another limb wrapped across her front, keeping her seated. The startled adolescent couldn't break free or even lower her legs from the counter top in regain balance.

"What the – " Wendy thought as she continued to fight back. "I didn't even – how could've someone snuck up on me like that? Why isn't Mabel doing anything? Can't she see what's happening?!"

Goosebumps traveled up her spine as Wendy felt her attacker lean in across her right side and whispered in her ear with a somewhat familiar creepy, high-pitched tone:

 _"Mama…"_

*GA – ACK!* *ACK!*

Wendy lounged forward as she scrambled for air. From the second time in the last 24 hours, she had been jolted from sleep by a nightmarish presence. But this time was different. Why couldn't she catch her breath?

Her eyes twitched repeatedly as they searched for light. Only darkness surrounded her. What had happened to the brilliant sunlight?

Wendy let out another series of coughs as she scanned the room. Mabel was no longer in front of her desk. A black fog had overtaken the entire Gift Shop. She was lucky if she could see a few feet into the distance.

"What's going on?"

The clerk could make out a slight glow forming on the left side of the register. Wendy narrowed her sights to see that the waste basket sitting on the side of the cabinet was teeming with orange and red flames that climbed higher and higher with every second.

It was then she realized that she wasn't lost in a mysterious haze – she was in the middle of a smokescreen. _The Mystery Shack was on fire!_

"Oh – OH MAN!" Wendy was in shock. "I gotta get outta here!"

With that, she leapt from her stool, only to land on the ground with a *SPLAT!* Before Wendy could take another step forward, something fastened itself around her feet, dragging her down the ground.

"Oof!" Wendy landed hard on her chin and elbows. She shook her head clear and looked over her shoulder to see what tripped her up. Her mouth curled into an "O" shape of absolute terror, "You have to be freakin' kidding me!"

During her breakaway, Wendy had inadvertently lounged both feet into the pot holding Mabel's sticky plaster solution. She pulled and tugged at her ankles, finding that they refused to budge in the slightest. It was like Wendy had stepped right into a patch of quick-drying cement.

"Oh, come – come on!" The persistent lumberjane yanked at her jeans, planning to simply slip out of her boots and make a speedy getaway in her socks. Unfortunately, the slime had climbed over her shins, covering her shoes completely. The pressure alone caused by the plaster made escape impossible.

"HEY!" Wendy called out, hoping that someone was still nearby. "Is anyone out there?! Her cries for help were cut off as more smoke invaded her lungs, making her cough loudly. She pulled her flannel over her face to try to filter in clean air, but it did little good.

Wendy looked back to see that the fire had now climbed to her old-rickety counter. The smoke grew thicker and stronger as the flame spread.

"It's like throwing kindling on it…" The light-headed feeling came rushing back. Wendy could feel the air growing ever thinner, even as she lied motionless on the ground. Every part of her wished to go back to sleep, but she knew better. Chances were if she did, she'd never wake up ever again.

"Okay, okay," Wendy tried to focus, "Gotta calm down; if I can't run away from the fire, the next best thing is to stop it from growing. But how do I do that?"

Her sights became set on a system of sprinkler heads mounted in the Gift Shop's ceiling. While Stan had the foresight to install such a precaution, he was too cheap to actually pay for an automatic activation unit. Instead, one would have to pull a lever that was mounted onto the wall – on the opposite end of the room.

"Egh!" Wendy grunted as she made it back to her knees, "Dammit, Stan…" She pushed off the floor with both palms, launching herself back upwards. _"I swear, old man. If I die because of you being a total cheapskate…"_ Wendy teetered back and forth within the basin until she came to a total stop. _"…I promise you'll be the first person I haunt. You can bet your false teeth on it!"_

Unable to use her feet, Wendy summoned all of her strength to take small bounds towards the fire alarm. With every jump, the saucepan would violently shake beneath her lanky body. The tight grip the plaster had on her made it feel like her ankles were going to shatter.

*THWOP!* *THWOP!* *THWOP!*

"Whoa-a!" Wendy stuck her arms outwards in order to maintain balance. Her right hand found the wall, helping her with some much-needed stability. The girl looked up to see that she was more than halfway to her goal.

"Just a…little more…"

*THWOP!* *THWOP!* *THWOP!*

Wendy went on her way, her salvation being seconds away from her hands. Despite the absolute discomfort in her peril, the agile cashier was beginning to find a rhythm in her maneuvering. In an ironic sense, the odd sensation reminded her of wrestling with her younger brothers, as the three boys would often dogpile around their older sister's legs to impede her progress.

*THWOP!* *THWOP!* *THWOP!*

"Almost…there…"

As Wendy as one skip away from her goal, she miscalculated her equilibrium. The basis slipped beneath her feet and came crashing down, tipping the super-tall redhead over as well.

*CRASH!*

"Ugh…" Wendy's right shoulder hit the floor with a loud bang. As she rubbed it, she stared up at the fire alarm inches away from her grasp. Her trapped shins ached, almost like they had broken on the way down. The ginger again coughed out more inhalation. She grew even woozier as the last of her energies were sapped. The lever was almost mocking her, its station only a short distance away.

With her lungs feeling like they were going to explode, Wendy made one last bolt upwards, akin to a snake lunging out to capture its prey. Her right hand grasped the handle as she used the extra weight clinging to her legs to carry her back down to earth.

*B-RING!* *B-RING!* *B-RING!* *B-RING!* *B-RING!* *B-RING!* *B-RING!* *B-RING!*

The ceiling of the Mystery Shack began to flash red and blue as an ear-piercing alarm filled the area. The sprinkler system raced on, covering the entire room with freezing cold water. Wendy slumped back on the ground as she watched the flames vanish from the half-melted waste basket and the now-charred checkout stand.

The exhausted lumberjack princess turned over as more raindrops soaked her body. Now safe, Wendy's body began to shut down; a chill raced across her entire being as she made out one final sight:

Across from the half-burnt desk, safety tucked against her knapsack, sat the panda-duck doll somehow out of its compartment. Its dotted black eyes gawked endlessly at the fallen child; the smile permanently attached between its unnatural beak seemed to stretch more than usual…

* * *

"So, let me get this straight – " "Grunkle" Stan Pines paced back and forth in the yard of his Mystery Shack with his arms crossed behind his back. "After you fell asleep on the job – "

"Um," Wendy lifted a finger as she interrupted. "I'd say it was me just resting my eyes…" Her Cheshire grin vanished as the old man gave off an annoyed sneer.

"As I was saying – _you fell asleep on the job_ , and supposedly when you woke up, the desk was on fire!"

"Yep," The flannel-donned teenager nodded. "It started in the garbage and spread to it…"

"And even more convenient – when you went to grab the alarm," he highlighted her current predicament with his arm, "You managed to get yourself caught in this mess!"

"Agh!"

"Huh!"

"Agh!"

"Huh!"

As Wendy's feet were still stuck within the plaster encasing, Dipper and Mabel were on opposite sides of the basin, each chipping away at the cement-like goo with a hammer and chisel as she sat on a nearby bench to relieve the increasing pressure on her ankles. They went on in a rhythmic method in hopes of breaking their friend out of her confinement.

Wendy shrugged her shoulders at Stan's claim, "I know it sounds really, really stupid, but that's what happened…"

Mabel looked up at her co-worker, "Almost there, Wendy! I'm sorry about this, but I still don't get it. When I left this stuff out to dry, I placed it on the other side of the Gift Shop, so that it wouldn't be in anyone's way. I don't understand how it got over by you…"

"That makes two of us, short-stuff!"

"Yeah," Dipper added with a hint of guilt, "We had no idea you were still inside until we heard the alarm. If anything, we thought you'd be the first one to get out -"

*KRAK!*

"There!" Mabel stood up triumphantly as a solid crack formed across the top of the hardened plaster. With a thrust, Wendy pulled her boots out of the encasing, seething gently as the circulation started to return. A thin rip had spread down each side of the footwear, causing them to open like the petals of a flower. She kicked off the dust-stained shoes and tucked her legs up against her chest as she rubbed her swollen feet.

"Thanks, guys. That feels so much better!"

"And look, Wendy!" Mabel held up the cracked plaster which had the imprints of her lumberjack boots. "You have your own foot-models now!"

"Yeech!" Wendy made a sour face and stuck out her tongue in disgust, "Toss that right in the trash! I never want to see those things again!"

As Mabel headed towards the garbage, her brother jogged up besides her. "Hang on, Mabel. Err…" He scratched the back of his head and turned around to make sure he wasn't being watched, "Maybe you should let me hang on to those for safe-keeping? You know, in case Wendy ever changes her mind…"

Now alone with his relieved worker, Stan shot another steely stare, "Kid, do you think I was born yesterday? Why don't you try telling me the truth?!"

"But I am, boss!" Wendy took a few wobbly steps off the bench. "What? Did you miss the part where your niece and nephew had to pry me from that goop?"

"I seen that, all right," the geezer rubbed his whiskers, "But then again, I couldn't begin to tell you how many cons I've seen in my life…"

"And what "con" do you think I'm trying to pull here?"

"You tell me," Mr. Mystery crossed his arms, "The thing that stands out in your story is the "fire that magically appeared out of nowhere." Now, if you were to tell me if it was a prank gone wrong…"

"No!" Wendy shook her head in denial.

"…or you kids were messing around in any way…"

"It wasn't like that!"

Stan pulled back as a horrible thought entered his head. "Kid, you're not on "the dope" or anything like that, are you?!"

"What?! No way!"

"Because I swear," he gave off a stern expression, "You better not give those two tykes any ideas – especially that boy – "

"Mr. Pines, please!" Wendy had to stop this interrogation, "I'm telling you – I haven't a darnedest thing to do with that fire!"

Stan sighed, looking dejected as he dug into his pockets. "That's the thing about cons, Corduroy. The only things that'll tell you the truth are the absolute facts." He moved his arm in front of Wendy and opened his clenched fist, presenting a burnt-up, broken off, blackened match.

"What is that?"

"Soos found this at the bottom of the waste basket as he was cleaning up your mess – "

" _My mess?!_ " Wendy held a hand against her chest.

"Now, I'm only going to ask you once: do you carry a book of matches with you?"

"Of course!" Wendy spun around and tore through her backpack in a hurry to prove her innocence. "I always carry a pack with me, in case of emergencies. It's something my dad makes me do." She found the pack emblazed with the "Skull Fracture" logo and surrendered it to her boss. "He gets tons of these from that crappy bar downtown…"

Stan took the book and opened them, "Hmm…" With a disappointed look, he presented his findings to Wendy. Right before her eyes, the elder leveled the shriveled match with the lone cracked out entry in the whole pack. It was a perfect fit!

"What?! But, but, that's impossible!"

"So," he remained serious in his tone, "What was that about "having nothing to do with the fire?""

Wendy threw her arms out, "Stan, please! You gotta believe me! I don't care how it looks! I didn't do it!"

With another long sigh, Grunkle Stan removed his glasses and massaged the area where they'd pinched his bulbous nose, "Go home, kid. You're suspended until further notice…"

"WHAT?!"

"And I'm docking you three days pay to make up for the counter and the thousands in merchandise you ruined!"

"Wait," Wendy's outrage calmed for a brief second, " _Thousands?!"_

"All right, "hundreds" in merchandise, but you get the picture! Now, beat it!"

At that moment, Dipper and Mabel returned to the scene, as they caught the brief end of Stan and Wendy's conversation.

"What happened?"

"What's going on?!"

"Wendy, where are you going?"

Instead of answering their questions, Stan bent down and awkwardly sniffed the air around his great-nephew. Mortified, Dipper spoke up, "Grunkle Stan, what are you doing?"

Satisfied with his findings, he took another long look at Wendy, "Making sure "Monkey See" doesn't become "Monkey Do." With that, he took his leave, as the ginger gathered her belongings. She tossed her ruined boots into her backpack, flung it over her shoulder, and headed towards her dented bike, not caring that the damp grass was tarnishing her yellow and orange socks.

Confused by what had just happened, the Pines twins nipped at Wendy's heels, and called out her name.

"Wendy?"

"Wendy?!" Dipper repeated after his sister. "Is everything okay?"

She took a deep breath and bottled her anger. The last thing she wanted was to involve them in the fight with Stan. Any involvement made on her behalf could only make things worse, especially for them. Wendy turned around and launched into an impromptu tale, "Sorry about that, fellas. Just got a lot of things on my mind; you know, with everything that happened today."

"Did something happen with Stan?" Mabel asked.

"Couldn't be better," Wendy forced a toothy smirk. "The big guy just wants me to take a few days to get back on my feet…" She glanced down at the ground and wiggled her stocking toes in the greenry, "…or at least, get another pair of boots, before heading back into duty…"

The twins laughed along with the pun-cracking young adult like nothing had happened. A sense of relief came over Wendy, " _They're buying it. At least that's one less thing to worry about…"_

"Here, Wendy!" Mabel pulled something out from behind her back. Before she knew it, Wendy was standing face to beak with the haunting panda-duck plushie. "You almost forgot this little guy back at the Shack. You wouldn't want to leave him behind, would you?"

The goose flesh quickly returned as Wendy forced herself to accept the toy. She fought the ever-growing trembling in her hands as she did so.

"Y-Yeah. I don't know what I'd do without 'im…"

"That's right!" Mabel snapped her fingers, surprising her sibling next to her. "This baby - your good luck charm strikes again! I mean, you had, like, the worse luck ever today, and if you think about it, you probably made it though because this cutie was close by!"

Wendy knew Mabel was right with some way. Deep down, she could feel something off since this doll came into her life. The nightmares, the cell phone, the cut bike brakes, the being stuck in the fire; it was all connected somehow…

But how?

Hiding her displeasure, Wendy took the plush and put it into her knapsack next to her split boots. After she bid the twins good night, she turned around and called out to Mabel. The small bundle of energy bounced back in her direction, as her brother went onwards without concern, chalking it up to some type of secretive "girl-talk."

Wendy took a knee and placed a hand across Mabel's shoulder, "Hey, buddy. I need your help with something, but you gotta keep it on the down-low, okay?"

The pixie held a hand upwards as she made her pledge by nodding in agreement.

"Okay, then. I want to thank Dip for getting me my panda-duck…"

Mabel gasped aloud, "You're going to get him a surprise?!"

"Thinking about it…"

She let out another delighted squeal, "What can I do to help?"

Wendy smiled, "That's easy. Can you tell me where you guys found that – I mean, my doll? I'm sure I can find something there that can help me out – _big time_ …"


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry for the wait, all! This chapter turned out to be a lot longer than I expected. Hope it was worth the wait!_

* * *

"Finally! I'm here…"

Wendy hopped off her bike, making sure to properly adjust her recently damaged vehicle to park it. She pulled her knapsack along her side, opening the front pocket. The redhead pulled out her once-most-demanded present and held it at arm's length.

The panda duck stared back at Wendy with its soulless black eyes. Its smile seemed to take pleasure at her frustration. Even its usually soft plush-fur felt like pricking needles on her fingertips.

She had followed Mabel's directions to a "T," leading her to the small curios store on a corner in downtown Gravity Falls. Wendy looked up at the display window to see that metal bars protected three empty, dust-covered shelves. She remembered his friend's story, of how her pint-sized admirer stopped in his tracks upon seeing the doll, desperate to do anything to obtain it in her name.

"Who would buy a toy from such a sketchy place like this?"

Usually, she would question Dipper's judgment in this case. In the small time she had known the boy, Wendy could spot the high intellect he possessed; the almost-detective-like nature by which he went through life. It was such a vast difference from any other twelve-year-old she had met in her lifetime.

Wendy looked back at the plushie in her hands, and wondered why Dipper would go against his better nature. The simplest answer came only a moment later:

 _"He did it for me…"_

The exact reasoning wasn't made clear yet. Maybe it was because of that black eye Dipper gave her from that ricocheting baseball back at the Mystery Fair. Maybe he had merely noticed her childlike wonder upon seeing the adorable purple mixture. For all she knew, it could have been an effort to show off and throw it in Robbie's face; it was more than obvious that the two didn't get along, but Wendy wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Either way, the fact remained that he _did it for her and her alone._

Wendy tucked the doll beneath her left arm as she headed towards the entrance. Perhaps this was why she was being so careful about this situation. After all, the dilemma that faced her sounded suspiciously like something that came out of those crappy B-movies she watched by herself late at night.

Besides, the last thing Wendy wanted to do was hurt Dipper's feelings. Despite his best efforts, she could tell that he was extremely sensitive on the inside. She had once seen the boy break down in tears after her father wrecked him in one of those lame "Manly" machines as he attempted to win free pancakes. Heaven knew how he would react if she was to reject his gift for such a superstitious reason.

"He probably wouldn't understand me freaking out over this," Wendy figured. "I'll just exchange this guy for one that isn't jinxed, and Ol' Dip'll be none the wiser, and – OOF!"

Wendy had inadvertently walked into the still-closed door. She jiggled the handle, finding that it locked.

"What?!"

The ginger searched the see-through door for any more information. Was the shop closed early for the day? After a minute, Wendy took a step back. She couldn't even find a sign showing the shop's everyday hours.

"What is this?" Wendy asked. "Are they on vacation or something?" She squinted her eyes and looked past the glass panel, finding nothing but numerous tables and bookcases covered with long, dust-coated tarps. The check-out counter looked as if it hadn't been used in ages. "This has to be the place – it's exactly how Mabel described it."

Losing her patience, Wendy went back and forth, pounding on the door with her free fist and twisting the jammed doorknob. "Hey?! Hey! Is anyone there?! Open up!"

The door itself was devoid of any information, save for one nearly-missable note near the bottom. Its message was one very familiar to her, considering her current place of employment:

"NO EXCHANGES OR REFUNDS!"

Defeated, Wendy rested her weary head against the cold glass as she mumbled, "Great…just great…"

* * *

Wendy threw open her retractable door leading into her closet. In the far right corner, she spotted an old laundry hamper. With a disgusted cry, she hurled the accused panda-duck plushie into the depths of the basket and slammed the top shut. Finding a few hardcover books at her feet, Wendy picked them up and placed them on the lid, effectively sealing the container shut.

After closing the accordion-like door, the satisfied lumberjane wiped the dust from her hands and went on her way. She already had a battle plan in her head – she would only bring the panda-duck out when Dipper or Mabel would come over. Otherwise, it would stay in its new home perpetually.

"There! Now that's taken care of…"

"So, when do you think Stan's gonna let you come back?"

Wendy stretched back across the hand carved picnic table in her front yard, "I dunno. Probably when he gets tired of ringing out customers himself…"

"Yep," she leaned over and met Dipper eye to eye. "Betcha he didn't think of that when he put me on "vacation..."

The buddies shared a loud laugh at the old man's expense. However, Wendy pulled back from the mirth first. She wasn't sure if Dipper knew the full extent of her dismal yet, so she had to bite her tongue.

The tiny sleuth had snuck out of his cleaning duties at the Mystery Shack to visit his secret crush. He was glad to see that she was still in good spirits, considering everything that she had went through during the last twenty four hours.

He had to fight his usually-nervous sub-consciousness, as with visiting his main squeeze on her home turf, hoping to forego any possible clashes with her more testosterone -driven father or brothers. Besides, Dipper knew that Wendy wasn't going to be around for a while, considering the event that was shortly approaching.

"Hey, your family hunting-camping thingie is coming up, right?" The pre-teen rose up from the book in his lap, attempting to sound positive, in spite of his sadness at losing his friend for a few days. "You must be excited, huh?"

"Meh…" Wendy wriggled her hand back and forth to show her interest. "Don't get me wrong. It's nice to get away from a few days…" She playfully elbowed her buddy with her elbow, "…no offense." Dipper smiled at the attention given from the older teenager.

"But at the same time," Wendy continued, "It's still me hanging out with the boys. If it was just my Dad and me, it'd be cool, but with all five of us?! I'll give it two days before I start pulling my hair out!"

"Is it really that bad?"

"Let's put it like this, kiddo," Wendy flashed another grin as she presented a long lock of auburn hair, "The next time you see me, I'll probably have a pixie cut…"

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Wendy peeked over the edge of the table to see that Dipper still had his nose buried in his book. To her surprise, the cashier noticed that he didn't have the musty old book that he normally carried around with him everywhere. Instead, a new, freshly bound, blue-covered novel was nettled between his legs. Marked with the same blue insignia that adorned his trucker hat, the inquisitive child would take turns making small scribbles into the text and giving her his full attention.

As Dipper went to turn the page, Wendy noticed something that instantly caught an emerald eye. There was a finely-drawn, penciled profile sketch of her on the corner of the folio. The curious detail was enough to get her to ask about the unfamiliar manuscript.

"Hey, buddy?" Wendy started with a white lie, "What's the deal with the book? That's not the same one you found in the woods, right?"

Dipper darted forward, holding the book against his chest. He turned around to face his sweetheart, his chubby cheeks becoming blushed, "Oh! Oh, this? Actually…" Dipper closed the book and displayed the cover to Wendy, "This is a little project I've been working on. I thought that I should keep my own journal documenting my own experiences here in Gravity Falls." He shifted his position, "I mean, I did write in the other journal; you know, the one with the big "3" on it? But, in here, I can do a lot more than add footnotes to someone else's work."

"So I see…" Wendy pushed herself upwards using her crossed elbows. "You mean you write down everything you see in this town?"

He raised his shoulders, "I…guess…so…?"

"And what about people?"

"Sure," Dipper's face grew redder. "Why not?"

Wendy flipped over, as her long copper hair draped from the tabletop, and stretched her lanky arms outwards, "So, is there a chapter on "me" in there, too?"

Her smirk spread as she could tell that the blood in Dipper's veins was freezing solid. He gave off a stunned look as he stammered out a response, "Of course! I mean, why wouldn't I? I mean…"

Frustrated, Dipper placed a palm against his face as he calmed himself, "You might be mentioned here and there…"

"Really?" Wendy sat upright and lowered her boots to the ground. Her aficionado was falling right into her hands, "You just gotta let me see…"

"No, you can't!" Dipper took a step back away from the reaching hands.

"Oh, come on, Dip!"

"Uh-Uh!" He shook his head as he clutched the book tighter.

"And why not? Are you embarrassed or something?"

"What?! No way!" Dipper's courage was slowly returning. "It's just that…it's not done yet…" His mind raced as he tried to find a reasonable excuse. "How can I show it off…umm….if it's not the best it can be?"

Wendy placed a hand against her side, "Huh. Okay, then, squirt. I'll hold you to it then…"

Dipper raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Tell you what." Wendy offered, placing a fist in front of Dipper, "When you feel that "your masterpiece" is just right, I get first dibs at it! Deal?"

Dipper looked back and forth between the hand before him and the shining green eyes gazing down above him. Figuring it was the best solution he was going to get, he gave a reassured smile and gently pounded his fist against Wendy's.

"Deal."

With the matter settled, the partners in crime departed from the front yard. As Dipper spotted Wendy hoisting her knapsack onto her shoulder, he asked, "Silly question, but you didn't bring the panda-duck with you, did you?"

Wendy stopped in mid-step; a chill ran up her spine at the mere mention of the accursed toy. She snapped her fingers and played dumb, hoping that Dipper would buy her act. "Oh, darn! I must have forgotten it inside…"

"That's okay…"

"Huh?" Wendy looked back at Dipper. This wasn't the reaction she expected. "It – It is?"

"Of course it is!" Dipper replied, not fazed in the slightest. "I know Mabel likes a big deal about it, but I never really expected you to carry that thing around with you everywhere." He began to rub his arm in anxious, "All that really mattered to me is that you really liked it."

"You know I do, little guy," Wendy lied through gritted teeth again, "And don't worry. It's in a place where I promise it will be well taken care of…"

* * *

"You be careful getting back home, okay, Dipper? The woods can get crazy at night…"

"I will, Wendy!" Dipper waved back, "And thanks for the umbrella!"

"Don't mention it…"

As soon as Dipper was gone from sight, Wendy shut the front door and let out a sigh. To her, it was a relief to have a relaxing day without any misfortune falling upon her. The closest thing to it was the sudden rainfall that started as her pal was on the way out. She could only wish that the death-defying perils that had plagued her over the last day could have been as easily solved with a borrowed umbrella.

Wendy slid out of her lumberjack boots and fell over the left arm of her living room couch, landing on the sofa with a loud thud. Her face perfectly met the love cushion at the opposite end. The girl's brown trapper hat dropped from her head as she turned around on her back and let out a relieved sigh.

"Oh, man…"

The high-schooler spotted Dipper's new journal on the end table at her feet. She sat up and snatched the book, examining it from every possible angle, "The little dork must have completely forgotten about this baby…"

Once more, curiosity started to get the best of her, tempting her to pry the text's cover open…

"No!"

Wendy forced the page shut. After the break she got about Dipper's carelessness over the panda-duck plushie, she decided not to press her luck and chance betraying his trust.

"And knowing Dipper the way I do," Wendy reminded herself. "He'd probably find something to prove I took a peek, like a fingerprint or loose eyelash or something…" She knew it simply wasn't worth the risk and the consequence. "Besides, once he realizes it's missing, he'll probably break down my door to get it back…"

She lied back down and adjusted her super-tall body, snuggling herself deep into the comfortable cushioning. Wendy drew out her arms and rested them over her head as her green eyes began to feel heavy.

"He should be back…any…minute…now…"

Just as Wendy was about to slip away on the throes of sleep, she could make out the pitter-patter of tiny feet.

"…Dipper?" Wendy called out in a mumble, not bothering to open her eyes. She motioned in front of her, "Your journal's over there. Don't worry, I didn't read a single page; I swear it…"

*PITTER-PATTER* *PITTER-PATTER* *PITTER-PATTER*

"Dipper?"

*PITTER-PATTER* *PITTER-PATTER* *PITTER-PATTER*

The absolute silence made her nervous unsettled. It was then when Wendy came to a horrifying conclusion:

"Wait, I didn't hear the front door open…" Wendy raised her neck as she tried to view over the couch, "Dipper? Please don't try to freak me out – "

*PITTER-PATTER* *PITTER-PATTER* *PITTER-PATTER*

Suddenly, a feathered limb reached out and covered her mouth tightly.

"HE-MMMM! HE-MMMM!"

Another fuzzy appendage pinned Wendy's wrists above her head. Her jeaned legs buckled wildly; her socked feet unable to maintain a solid grip on the cushions beneath them.

"HMMM-LP! HMMM-LP!"

The familiar tone that troubled her dreams swiftly returned. The raspy, yet high-key voice made Wendy's ears twitch as they were whispered into:

 _"Mama! Wake up!"_

"HMMM!"

 _"Mama! Wake up!"_

As if by magic, the sofa under Wendy started to vibrate, violently shaking the frightened girl up and down. The mysterious arms still managed keep hold on the struggling redhead.

 _"Wake up!"_

"Missy, wake up!"

Wendy's eyes opened for a second time, only now at the sound of a recognizable, yet gruff voice. Her vision cleared, seeing that an enormous shadow loom over the sofa. As her vision grew clear, the shape morphed into a red and green jumble. It gave the couch another swift kick.

"On yer feet, Gwendolyn! You have some explaining to do!"

She would know that crotchety tone anywhere. "Dad?!"

"Who else would you think?!" "Manly" Dan Corduroy stood over his still-dazed daughter as he grinded his teeth furiously. His mighty muscles bulged as his heavy breath grew more rapid with every passing second.

Wendy could tell something was wrong, "What's up, Dad? Did something happen while you guys were out?"

"You tell me!" He extended a trunk-like arm outwards. "Now, git!"

"Ooh! Wendy's in trouble!"

"So much trouble!"

"She's gonna get it now!"

Wendy glanced over the sofa's edge to see her three brothers standing in a row. They waited in excitement as their sister was about to receive an unknown comeuppance. As she got up and followed her father, the lumberjack princess noticed that the once-clean floor was now stained with countless, muddy boot prints.

"Ugh!" Wendy groaned as she rolled her eyes in disgust. "Did you guys really have to mess up the floor like this?! It's going to take me all night to clean this!"

"Oh no!" Manly Dan gripped his child's hand as he led her forward, "Don't you dare try to blame us for your untidiness! These marks were here when we came home!"

"Yeah, Wendy!" She turned around to see two of her brothers holding her oversized waders. To her surprise, each shoe was dripping with rainwater and dirt.

"These prints came from your boots!"

"And you're the only one with tiny-enough-feet to fit in them!"

"That's right! Corduroy men don't have tiny feet like little girls! Tiny feet mean that – "

"Stop!" Wendy held a hand over her face in embarrassment. "Just stop right there…"

"That doesn't matter!" Dan gave her another nudge, "I want you to explain what you did outside!"

"Outside? But I didn't…" Wendy traveled off as her mind raced. She already knew this was going to be anything but good.

Manly Dan opened the front door as Wendy took a few steps outside, following the trail of mud prints. The downpour she had fallen asleep to was now a gentle drizzle. The remaining water on her front steps drenched her red and orange stocking soles.

"Well?" Manly Dan used his arm to highlight the source of his outrage. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

At first, Wendy couldn't see what her parent was talking about. After a second, she spotted a tiny shine in one of the countless trees surrounding her humble home. And then another. A third one came out of the woodwork a moment later.

"What the – " Wendy held a hand above her eyes to gain a better view. "There's…no way…"

To her horror, nearly every blade in the Corduroy armory; every axe, hatchet, and knife was now embedded into the numerous redwoods within viewing distance of her front porch. Strangely enough, the instruments were planted in such a way that they spelled out a brief message.

"B – O – Y…." Wendy read along as her head searched for more letters, "BO – YS…SU – CK…"

She turned around and repeated the carved note with a raised brow: _"Boys suck?"_

Wendy's brothers were the first to speak up:

"We do not!"

"Yeah, you suck!"

"What a super-lame prank, Wendy. Way too much effort here…"

"Me?!" Wendy began to defend herself, "But I didn't – "

"But my tools, Wendy-girl…" She turned around to face her father, who for the first time actually faded away from his usually-angry temperament into disappointment, "The same ones that built this home and puts food on your plate every night – how could you ruin them like that?"

"Dad, please!" Wendy's heart sunk into her gut, seeing the usually tough-as-nail man brake like this, "This isn't the way it looks! I – "

"Wendy?"

A new voice entered the scene, prompting her to stop in mid-sentence. With a shocked expression on her freckled face, she spun around to see Dipper standing in the still-open doorway.

"Dipper? What – What are you doing here?"

He stepped inside, "I don't mean to interrupt, but I think I left my journal here earlier – " His face lightened as he spotted the blue-book on the stand next to the couch. "Hey, there is it!"

As Dipper went to reclaim his tome, Manly Dan issued a warning to his daughter, "Wendy, I think it would be best if your little friend took his diary and went home…"

" _Journal_ , actually, but – "

Wendy dashed towards the unaware adolescent, and covered his mouth in fear of his own safety, "Dad's right, Dip. Hehe. You better head out now. I'll tell you about this mess later…"

 _"Much later_ …" Manly Dan crossed his hairy arms as she gave his eldest child another stern glare.

As Wendy started to gently push Dipper towards the exit, the sleuth forced himself to a halt as he spotted something amiss, "Wait. What is that?"

"What's what?" Wendy looked down, past Dipper's cap, only to have that sickening feeling in her stomach worsened. "Oh no…"

The two friends saw the torn pages sticking out of the journal. Without saying a word, Dipper began to flip through the individual sections, his reaction growing more severe by the moment. "No…no, no, no, no!"

"Dipper…" Without even being told, Wendy could tell what had happened.

The middle-schooler spun around on his heels and faced his crush, "Wendy…you went through my journal?"

"Dip, listen – "

"Even after you promised you wouldn't…"

"Dipper, hang on – "

"And if that wasn't enough, you _destroyed_ it?!"

"WHAT?! "

He turned back to the first damaged entry and shoved it in her face. There were numerous paragraphs blocked off with thick, black ink, making the entries illegible. Dipper continued to span the following pages, showing that other sections had been crossed out, having been replaced by various annotations and citations:

"THAT'S NOT THE WAY THAT HAPPENED!"

"WHAT A WIMP! DO YOU EVER HEAR YOURSELF TALKING?"

"YOU HONESTLY THINK I WOULD THINK THIS IS COOL?!"

"BETCHA ROBBIE CAN DO THAT BETTER!"

"DON'T BE SUCH A BIG BABY! EVEN YOUR SISTER IS BRAVER THAN THAT!"

"YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!"

Other parts of the journal had been yanked out, leaving large patches in between pages. Even the lovely sketch Wendy had caught sight of earlier had been leveled, as someone marked it into nothing but a big, black smear.

"I know – " Dipper sniffled. "I know there was a lot of embarrassing stuff in there, but did you really have to tear out _every possible mention of you_ in there?!"

"Dipper, please!" Wendy dropped to one knee and held his shoulders, "I didn't do this! You have to believe me. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you like this. You know that!"

"Wendy," Dipper said with a formed mind, "There wasn't anyone else here except for you! So, if you didn't do it, _who did_?"

The cornered teenager bit her lip, knowing that she was going to regret her next choice.

"Okay, kid. I'll level with you, alright?"

"WENDY!"

"Just more one sec, Dad?!" She turned back to meet Dipper face-to-face, keeping her voice to a whisper so that her family wouldn't hear, "It's not me, it's that doll…"

"What?!" Dipper's face fell as the words left her lips.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I swear to you, Dipper. Strange things have been happening since you gave me that panda-duck! I can't prove it, but I'm telling you – "

"I – " Dipper stuttered a response, "I can't believe I'm hearing this…"

"I hear you, buddy." Wendy began to sound relieved at the truth being revealed, "It's definitely some crazy – "

"No!" Dipper freed himself from her grip, "I mean, I can't believe I'm hearing this – _from you!_ "

"Dipper…" Wendy shrunk back at his reaction. She had never seen him so angry before.

"You do such a terrible thing…"

She could see tears start to form in his soft brown eyes. Wendy's heart shattered at seeing Dipper so upset. As she fought against her own eyes become runny, the teen pleaded, "Dork, I'm telling you the truth – "

But Dipper went on, " – and you have the nerve to blame it on something I worked so hard to get you because I – because I – "

"Dipper, you have to – "

He lashed out, _"I don't have to do anything!"_ Dipper pointed at his now-ruined journal, "Especially after this!" The angered child headed for the door, "Forget this! I'm not listening to any more of this craziness!"

Wendy could hear him mumble under his breath, " _Shouldn't have gotten you the stupid thing in the first place…"_

She went to go after her inconsolable chum, "Dipper, hang on a sec," being stopped as she was grabbed roughly by the shoulder. Wendy turned around to see her father, his patience wearing thinner with each passing second.

"No, wait! I have to – "

"What's wrong?" One of Wendy's brothers shouted from behind her, "Trouble in paradise?"

"Maybe that's what she gets for juggling two boys at the same time, eh?"

"At least the little shrimp had the sense to wise up and leave you in the dust, huh?"

Wendy instantly saw red, "Why you little bas – "

She felt Manly Dan squeeze her harder, "Enough!" Wendy was turned around as the man barked at her, _"This is what you're going to do – "_

"Dad, come on –"

"Starting RIGHT NOW!"

"But – "

Manly Dan began to use his beefy fingers to count off points, "Number one – as of this moment, you are grounded – meaning no camping trip for your little keister!"

"What?!"

"You are to get dressed and do whatever it takes to clean this mess and bring every last tool back inside of this house!"

"How am I – "

"Not my problem. You got them up there, you figure out how to get them down!"

"You're not listening! I didn't – "

"Until then," Dan noted. "There will be no hanging out with delinquents, no TV, no internet…"

He opened a palm and moved his hand, inviting a response from his offspring. Familiar with the tactic, Wendy let out a moan, reached into her jean pocket, and pulled out her modest cell phone. She placed the flip phone into her parent's grasp, only to watch him crush the defenseless gizmo into pieces.

"NO CELL PHONES!"

It was times such as these that made Wendy glad she used inexpensive pay-as-you-go models.

"By the time the boys and I return at the end of this weekend, I expect every instrument you dragged into the rain – "

"I didn't – "

"Every instrument you dragged out into the rain!" he repeated. "To be wiped down, sharpened to a fine point, and be free of any trace of rust. After that, they are to be returned to where you got them…"

"Dad…"

"IS! THAT! CLEAR?!" The giant's voice literally shook the household. Luckily, the four children were used to such volume.

Trounced, Wendy lowered her head towards the ground and murmured, "Yes, sir…"

"Good! Now, get to it!"

Wendy sulked away from her father, pasting her brothers as she headed towards her room. The three boys quietly snickered at their sister's fate until the steamed ginger gave them an irritated glance.

* * *

Once she was inside of her room – the last safe haven Wendy had – she softly shut the door and slumped down behind it. Part of her wanted to shrivel up into a ball and cry her eyes out. Her entire family was mad at her, Dipper didn't want anything to do with her, and she was currently banned from going back to work.

 _And for once, Wendy was completely innocent of all charges!_

She took her flannel sleeve and wiped her freckled face dry. Her despair morphed into resentment. She wasn't going to take this lying down. Wendy stood up and walked to her closet. She opened the sliding door and spotted the hamper in the right hand corner. The pile of books still pinned the lip shut.

Taking a deep breath, Wendy threw the books to the side and peered into the darkness. The panda-duck looked up at her from the bottom of the basket. Its blank stare seemed to reach deeper into her soul than ever before. Its crooked-beaked smile made her anger all but fade away as goosebumps shot up her flesh.

Wendy closed the lip and replaced the books. She shut the closet door and slid down into the floor as she thought things over:

 _"This doesn't make any sense. That thing hasn't moved since I put it there. So, what's doing all of this? And why does it keep making it seem like I'm doing all this stuff?"_

The girl tucked her knees up to her chin as she continued to speculate, _"What if it's a curse or something? These "pranks" only seem to happen when I'm asleep…"_

"WENDY!"

"I'm coming! I'm coming!"

As Wendy went to stand back up, her hand came into contact with something moist. She raised her hand to see that her fingertips were now covered with a sloppy, brown substance.

"It's…" She rolled it between her fingers, "It's mud…"

Wendy changed positions, shifting to her knees as she explored the odd scene. Mixed between the wet dirt, she found a handful of small, thin slivers sprinkled among the floor – _the same colored wood as that of her closet door._

"What in the – "

She followed the trail of chippings to the bottom right of the moving door. Wendy traced against it with her left hand, only to let out a gasp as it fell through the wood paneling. To her shock, a portion of the base was able to swing freely, back and forth, similar to that of a doggie-door.

Just as soon as rocked back into place, a sinister, squeaky voice whispered from the dark closet:

 _"Mama? Can I come out now?!"_

"HOLY – HOLY CRAP!"

Wendy backpedaled on her hands as fast as she could. Her heart raced like crazy. She couldn't catch her breath. Without thinking twice, Wendy raced towards her dresser and pushed it against the closet door, preventing it from being opened in any way.

Still in a state of panic, Wendy sunk into her bed, as the horrific situation played out over and over in her head:

 _"I can't believe it! It's alive! That doll is alive! I have to get a hold of Dipper and – "_

Wendy had to dismiss her first thought. Dipper now hated her guts; there was probably no chance he'd actually believe her, yet alone help her out of this jam. Ditto went for her family. They would laugh in her face if she told them that a plushie was trying to ruin her life.

Wendy lowered her weary head on her knees as she listened for any signs of escape, knowing that one certain truth was before her:

 _"I'm on my own – I'm all on my own with this one…"_


	4. Chapter 4

*SLAM!*

Wendy's bright-green eyes opened at the sound echoing through her cabin. Despite her appearance, the downtrodden girl had been awake for hours. The noise meant that her family had finally left for their planned camping trip – and in part, stuck to the unfair punishment given by leaving her behind.

Although Wendy was exhausted from all of the madness that happened the night before, not to mention having to polish half of her father's armory to perfection, her body wouldn't allow her to relax. Simply seeing her barricaded closet door served as an instant energy boost, considering the evil entity that resided inside.

Lowering her stocking feet into her boots, Wendy put on a long-sleeved flannel and stepped out of her room. Part of her was relieved to have the house to herself; a rare event when living with four rowdy males, but considering the events that led to it, decided it wasn't worth the trade-off.

Wendy stepped into the kitchen and went towards the sink. She dropped to her jeaned knees and opened the cabinets beneath, searching through the collection of supplies for a particular item. After a few moments of searching, Wendy found the box of black garbage bags. She pulled one out, stood up, and closed the door with the toe of her boot.

Her next stop was the closet parallel to the front door. She dug deep into the bottom shelf, retrieving a long forgotten suitcase. She grabbed the handle and hoisted it off the ground, shutting the door with her rear end since both hands were full.

Once back in her bedroom, Wendy set the suitcase on her comfort and snapped the latches. Leaving it open wide, Wendy stretched the garbage bag wide and approached her closet. The lumberjane held the bag between her legs as she pushed her dresser back, leaving the door before her unblocked.

" _Okay, okay_ ," she calmed her raging nerves, " _I gotta do this extra-fast, or else…_ "

With one last deep breath, Wendy pulled her closet door back, swiped the books off of her hamper, and took the basket by both hands. She held it over the garbage bag, and swiftly flipped it upside-down. A split second later, Wendy could feel the dead weight slide downwards. Once she heard a hollow thud strike the floor, the ginger sealed the bag at the top and immediately threw it into the suitcase.

Using lightning-fast reflexes, Wendy shut the open lid and secured the latches tightly. She couldn't tell if the thumping sound she heard came from inside the locked valise or from her heart beating wildly within her chest. To make sure the deed was done, the frightened ginger peered into the basket. She let out a heavy sigh as it was empty. Despise her athleticism, Wendy found herself having to use both hands to carry the luggage due to the extra weight.

Once she made it to the front door, Wendy stopped to put on her heavy army-green jacket, figuring that the night air made the atmosphere a bit frosty. She hurried to the garage in order to get her bicycle, only to find the door jammed.

"Huh?!"

Wendy looked down to see that the door had been bolted shut with a heavy duty metal padlock. To make matters worse, it was a combination based lock, meaning that it would be impossible to pick open. In her frustration, Wendy kicked the door as she grunted, " _Dammit, Dad! Did you really have to bolt the door shut like that?!_ "

But the more she thought about it, Wendy's frown quickly turned into a sinister smirk. Her old man's attempt to ensure that she remained grounded in his absence gave her another idea of how to deal with the sinister threat truly responsible for all of the damage done in the last two days.

Dragging the worn-out suitcase into the mud, Wendy went around to the side of the garage and found the side window left slightly ajar. With a gentle tap of her foot, it opened, allowing Wendy to slide through, due in thanks to her slender figure. It took a few times to pull the suitcase though, but Wendy dared not to leave it alone for a single instance.

Inside of the garage, Wendy rushed to her father's workbench, throwing open random drawers until she found her objective. Her eyes narrowed as her plan furthered. She pulled out yards of iron-cast chain links, followed by four sets of padlocks with their matching keys.

Wendy knelt down before the suitcase and started to wrap the chains around it from every possible angle. She connected them together using all four padlocks, making sure that the baggage could never be opened with bare hands ever again.

Priding over her work, Wendy stood up and dusted off her hands, _"There! Let's see you get out of this one…"_

Now left with the last stage of her plan, Wendy slid back outside with her hostage. While there was no way to get her bike out of storage, she was determined more than ever to complete her goal. Unfortunately, that would mean she would have to travel on foot during the middle of the night to her destination.

"Well," Wendy looked on the bright side, "At least things can't get any worse…"

*KRAK!*

She looked up to see that the sky clouded the moonlight; the heavy clouds releasing a downpour that made Wendy instantly regret her wording. Instead of complaining and swearing out loud, she merely sighed and pulled her jacket's hood over her head, determined more than ever to end this once and for all...

* * *

Earlier that night, Wendy had plenty of night to plan her vengeance as she was forced to go out into the drizzling rain and recover her father's axes, knives, and other cutting tools. In spite of her acrobatic prowess, the feat was somewhat trying, due to the slickness of the branches, as well as the halfway ruined soles of her replacement lumberjack boots. But after an hour of slipping, falling, and swinging from every tree in the Corduroy front yard, Wendy had brought every piece back inside of her home.

From there, Wendy sat alone at the kitchen table as the men of the Corduroy clan relaxed comfortably, laughing and joking as they watched TV, while she endlessly polished and sharpened each blade. The only interaction Wendy received was that when Manly Dan would occasionally stick his head past the doorway, ensuring that his daughter was still hard at work, only to return to the mirth on the other side of the house without uttering a single word.

While thinking of her family only increased her wrath, there was a single reflection that pinged at her heartstrings. To Wendy, what happened with Dipper was completely different than anything else. The other catastrophes had others becoming furious at her, while with her little squirt, _it_ _left him heartbroken._

It was somewhat ironic, considering that was the reason she hadn't told him the truth about the panda-duck doll in the first place.

Despite her disappointment at his reaction, Wendy couldn't find fault with him as she did her other accusers. After all, they probably didn't have a high opinion of her in the first place. And it was easy to see that the twelve year old had taken a shine to her – going as far as to look up to her. Carefully but surely, Dipper was starting to come out of his shell, showing Wendy that he fit the role of "partner in crime" where her other friends were too chicken or lame to do so.

It had only been a month since they met, and Wendy wouldn't take his claims of monsters and ghouls seriously – until she found herself face to face with dual ghosts at the Dusk2Dawn convenience store a few days later.

From that point on, she found herself slowly becoming a believer of the macabre things laying in wait in the dark. Heck, even her dad's claims about spirits and demons in the woods seemed more than the usual drunken rants.

But this was something unexpected. How could something so adorable – something that she secretly wanted; an object that appealed to her often oppressed feminine side hide such a sinister evil?

 _"How can I expect Dipper to believe this when I barely do?! It's like a messed-up sense of karma or something…"_

As Wendy finished the coating on another axe, she started to make a battle plan in her mind. In part, she would try her best to smooth things over with everyone affected by this – with Dipper being first priority.

"But first things first," Wendy noted. _"I have to do whatever it takes to make sure that thing never hurts anyone ever again!"_

* * *

After forty-five minutes of wandering through the rain, getting stuck and unstuck in the muddy grounds, and having the heavy suitcase weigh down on her weary back, Wendy wiped the sweat from her brow.

 _"Oh, thank heavens! I made it!"_ She carefully stepped down into the soft soil. " _I thought with my luck, I'd get struck by lightn –_ " The ginger stopped in mid-sentence, knowing that she probably didn't want to jinx herself just yet.

As Wendy noticed that her family finally went to bed, she set the sword in her hands back down on the kitchen table and slithered into bed undetected. With a little hope, the drained teenager figured that she could have a moment of relaxation – the first one she had since the episode with Dipper and her family happened.

While lying on her bed, Wendy began to plot how she would rid herself of the cursed doll that plagued her. At first, she thought a simple death would suffice, wondering if the same axes she cleaned would be sharp enough to cut through the thick fluff with one slice.

Memories of her favorite B-Horror-Movies promptly reminded Wendy that she might not be strong enough to do so. Such led her to think that tossing the doll into her dad's wood chirper in the back yard would be a quick, painful way to finish the job.

But revenge took hold of the wounded fifteen-year-old. After everything she had been through, Wendy didn't want the source of her misery to get off so easily. She wanted it to feel everything that she experienced over the last few days: _loneliness, isolation, frustration, despair; an overall feeling of being trapped_.

And now, standing at the edge of the nearest pier, Wendy held the chained luggage over the waters of Lake Gravity Falls. She let the handle slip from her fingertips, stepping back without delay in fear of being dragged down into the murky depths by some last-minute paranormal occurrence.

*SPLASH!*

"Bon Voyage, creep-o!"

Wendy waited a few seconds before looking over the edge of the dock, seeing that the suitcase was now nothing but a black blur fading away into the bottom of the lake. She waited a minute or so, insuring that her crappy movies didn't prove themselves true, and the monster would re-emerge for a final battle.

The waters of the Gravity Falls Lake remained as calm as they were when Wendy first arrived on the scene.

Suddenly, the darkened skies parted, shining a gentle blue moon beam upon the relieved ginger. She opened her palm, finding that all rainfall that instantly halted.

"Finally…" she sighed, "Some good luck…"

* * *

Wendy opened the door to her cabin and kicked off her now-mud-stained boots and socks. The walk back home had been as tiring as the trip to the lake, making her naturally pale feet swell to an unnatural beet red. Her still-soaked body shivered from the ice-cold rain, forcing her to slip out of her flannel and blue jeans, leaving her in sleepwear – a dark black cut-off tee with a pair of white short-shorts

After hanging her wet clothing and trapper hat in the bathroom, Wendy opened the door to her room, took a few sore steps forward, and collapsed into her soft, welcoming bed. As she fell, the girl tossed the keys to the padlocks into her dresser with perfect aim.

"Ugggggghhhhh!" She groaned aloud as her body finally slowed down. Her eyelids grew heavier with every passing second. Wendy let out another yawn as she turned into her back, not bothering with her blankets. "At long last, I can get some "Zs…" Her mind slipped into a tranquil daze, "And tomorrow, I'll make everything much better…I swear…"

All of a sudden, Wendy felt something grasp her left wrist. She gasped loudly as her eyes opened to see her oldest brother standing over her bed. "Hey, bro, " she greeted him with a yawn, "What are you guys doing back already?"

He gazed down at her with a crazed smile as he continued to hold her hand in a death grip, sending a chill down her entire being. "What – What are you doing?"

Her decision changed as something else clutched her right hand. She saw that her middle brother pulled her other wrist back; his face frozen with the same eerie beam. Wendy struggled and fought against the boys, finding that she was too fatigued to break free of their hold.

"Let me go! What's the deal with you…guys…?"

Wendy glanced down the bed to see that her legs had also been restrained. Her younger brother pinned her left ankle down while to her surprise, Mabel stood at the other end, seizing her wriggling right foot firmly. Once more, the two pre-teens stared back at her with silent, creepy grins.

"What is it?" Wendy tested her limbs again. "Is this some kind of prank or something? This isn't funny!"

 _"You're been a bad, bad girl, Wendy…"_

A shadow came out from the darkness. Dipper stepped into the light, sporting the same expression, as he held a hand behind his back.

"Dipper?" Wendy asked, trying her best to break loose. "Was this your idea? What's the deal, man?!"

He took another step forward and removed his hand from hiding. He held a long, fluffy, purple-colored feather in between his fingers. The sight instantly made Wendy think of the panda duck doll.

"What – " Wendy stuttered. "What are you going to do with that?"

 _"You've been really bad, Wendy_ ," Dipper repeated.

"Really, really bad!" The other four children repeated the haunting message.

Dipper twirled the quill menacingly, _"And bad girls need to be punished…"_

"Yes, they do!"

"They definitely do!"

"Sorry, Wendy! You really do!"

"HA! She's gonna get it now!"

"Dipper," Wendy warned, "Don't you dare come near with me with – HAHAHA!"

It was already too late. Dipper had started to drag the tip of the feather beneath Wendy's chin.

"NO! HEE! HEE!" Wendy bucked and flexed, unable to break free of the adolescents holding her captive. "STOP! HAHAHAHAHA! STOP RIGHT NOW!"

"No way!" Dipper's wicked smirk only grew as he dragged the plume against her armpit, making Wendy bounce up and down in bed. "There's only one way to get me to stop…"

"And – HAHA! And what's that?"

 _"Apologize!"_ The boy twisted the feather across Wendy's exposed navel, making her squirm with each stroke.

The rest of the peanut gallery chirped in, "Apologize for what you have done!"

"What – HEE! What I done?" Wendy exclaimed. "I didn't do anything!"

"Lies!" The trapped high-schooler twisted and turned as the feather explored the crevices behind her knees. One by one, her brothers and Mabel started to list off her crimes:

"You destroyed Dipper's journal!"

"You ruined Dad's tools!"

"You wrecked your bike!"

"You burnt down the Shack's check-out counter!"

"I – HAHAHA!" Wendy claimed breathlessly. "TEEHEE! I – I didn't do any of those things! The doll did it! It set me up!"

 _"We don't believe you, Wendy…_ " Dipper said as he walked around to the edge of her bed.

"Not one bit…" the others added on.

"What do you mean you don't – " Wendy paused as she noticed where Dipper was heading next. "Where are you going – wait. My…feet… NOT COOL, MAN! STAY AWAY FROM MY FEET! I SWEAR I'LL– ARRRGGGHHH!"

The cashier went into violent spasms as the feather's edge rubbed against each of Wendy's soles. She yanked and tugged her way to freedom, only to be defeated at every turn.

"PLEASE – HAHAHAHA!" She begged loudly. "JUST LET ME GO!"

"Not until you say you're sorry!" All five voices sang in conjunction.

Wendy turned her head to see Stan and her father standing in the doorway, watching the chaotic scene unfolded. "DAD! STAN!" she pleaded. "Tell them – HEEHEEHEE! TELL 'EM TO STOP! PLEASE?!"

Instead of helping her out of this jam, each adult stood their ground, crossing their arms and shaking their heads.

"Kid," Stan answered. "It looks like you really stepped in it now…"

"Wendy-girl," Manly Dan responded. "Stop being so stubborn and admit that you were wrong!"

"BUT I – " She paused as Dipper moved the feather between her toes, stifling her with forced laughter, "BUT I DIDN'T DO IT! I SWEAR IT! I PROMISE!"

"Just say sorry!"

"NO!"

The chant continued as the adults joined in, "Just say sorry!"

"NO! I – HAHAHA! I WON'T DO IT!"

"Just say sorry! Just say sorry!"

The ticklish sensation moved against her heels, making Wendy's lips quiver uncontrollably. The last of her resistance had been spent. She closed her eyes tightly and shouted at the top of her lungs:

"OKAY! OKAY! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY! NOW, WILL YOU GUYS STOP TORTURING ME?!"

 _"No, Mama_ …" a recognizable, disturbing voice answered. " _It's too late to be sorry_ …"

Wendy opened her eyes to see that the scene had changed. Sunlight no more filled the room; the only source of light came from the simple lamp on her nightstand. All of her tickle torturers had vanished from sight. The only thing that stood out was a single object sitting on her stomach.

As her vision grew clearer, a lump grew in Wendy's throat. She thought as the image formed. _"No! It can't be!"_

Wendy found herself staring up at the panda-duck plushie. A tiny stain spread across her chest as its dampness dripped onto her night shirt. Of its own power, the doll bent over slightly and whispered in a nasally voice – the same one that haunted her dreams – without moving its sealed-off lips:

 _"Hello…Mama!"_

The scared girl went to scream at the horrific sight, finding that her mouth had been covered with a piece of duck tape. Wendy tried to hop off her bed, only to discover that her limbs were still being held back.

 _"What the – why can't I move my body?"_

She turned towards her headboard to see that each hand had been chained firmly to a different corner. Wendy raised her head and looked past the living doll, seeing that the same had been done to her feet. She pulled and kicked against the metal links, making the chains dig deep into her flesh.

A repetitive *KLANG!* sound heard during her struggles had Wendy search for the source of the noise. She noticed that a padlock that been placed onto each bundle, preventing from her freeing herself so easily. A simple touch with her fingertips confirmed her suspicions:

 _"The chains...they're soaking wet! I can't believe it! They're the same I used earlier to drown this thing!"_ Her sights moved to the padlock keys still left on her top dresser. Wendy groaned and threw her head back in disgust. Freedom was so close and yet, so far away.

 _"That explains that messed-up dream! Me not being able to move my hands or feet. The tickling feeling with the purple feather. It was really this thing climbing on me, and – ewww!"_

The doll climbed up her chest as it addressed her once more, " _Dollie is so, so mad at Mama right now_!"

"HMD AD HE?!" Wendy tried to answer through her gag.

It stood up on its flat feet and pointed down at Wendy with a purple wing, " _When Daddy bought Dollie from the nice man at the store, he promised that I would be loved. And at first, Mama hugged and squeezed Dollie like she really loved me. But when we got home, Mama tossed me aside! Mama wouldn't even let Dollie sleep next to Mama in her bed!"_

Wendy took a moment to process all of this. _"Wait, so Dipper is "Daddy?"_ She tried to explain through muffles: "HT MASN'T MMMSONAL! MMERE MASN'T HOOM HN MM MED!"

 _"You could have made room for Dolliie_!" It shrieked at Wendy. _"But you didn't care for Dollie! Not one bit!"_ The plush's eyes lowered, _"So, if Mama didn't care for Dollie, why should Dollie care for Mama? So, Dollie decided to get rid of Mama! With Mama gone, I could go back home with Daddy!"_

"MOU MMD HT!" Wendy yelled. "MOU HHHCKED HY MMKE! MOU HHMMTED MMAT MMRE!"

 _"But Daddy only cared about Mama!"_ The doll continued its confession. _"And Dollie saw how Daddy was sad when Mama was hurt. Dollie doesn't want Daddy to be sad. Dollie only wants to be with Daddy! So, Dollie had to change plans…Dollie had one more trick up her sleeve…"_

The possessed plaything placed a wing against Wendy's body. A gentle, yet numbing sensation traveled down Wendy's arms and legs. She pulled against her restraints, crying out as they grew tauter.

"MHAT HRE MMU HMING MU HE?!"

 _"The only way that Dollie can be with Daddy…"_

Wendy glimpsed upwards as the feeling climbed up her fingers. She shrieked as her right arm changed colors, turning from a freckled white to a dark purple. Feathers rose up from her flesh. Wendy lost control of her fingers as they fused together into one, large tip.

She looked back at the panda-duck plushie in horror, as its right wing was now a fully-formed, pale-pigmented human hand, complete with wiggling fingers. _Her pale, wiggling fingers!_

"MO! MO! MO! MO!" The teen screamed as much as her suppress allowed, as tears flowed from her emerald eyes.

The doll's smile stretched as it finished its sentence:

 _"…is that Dollie becomes Mama!"_


	5. Chapter 5

"HMM-OOOOOOOO!"

Wendy howled as loud as she could, although the piece of tape pressed against her mouth made it sound like a dragged-out murmur. She looked up once more at her new, transformed appendage, watching in shock as the purple feathered tips – the same that inadvertently tickled her in her sleep moments before – now corresponded with her own movements.

" _Screaming won't do you any good, Mama_ ," the panda-duck said, as it went on flexing and bending its new fleshy-arm. " _There's no one around to hear you. Dollie made sure of that. She made sure that Daddy was mad at you. And Grandpa, and uncles. Dollie knew that they'd get angry and leave you behind, where Dollie and Mama would be alone together without anyone to bother us…"_

"HHY?!" Wendy choked out, her green eyes attempting to clear out the growing moisture surrounding them. "HHY MRE MOU HHHNG MMIS MO ME?"

The teen gasped into her gag as she noticed that the doll's eyes were changing from their usual blank-black dots to the exact shade of green as hers.

 _"Dollie wants Mama to feel how Dollie feels. Dollie wants Mama to know what it's like sitting all alone on a shelf, hoping that someone will take you home and love you someday. I bet Mama's never felt like how Dollie's felt. Everyone loves Mama. Everyone thinks Mama is funny and pretty and brave…"_

Wendy suddenly sensed something itching against her right cheek. The strange stir shifted to her left. After a few moments, it started to drive her mad – almost like she had bumped into poison oak. Having her arms chained above her head only made matters worse, as Wendy could do nothing but preserve.

She saw that the doll's furry visage had started to fold inwards as patches of pink and brown formed all over. Within seconds, the toy had her freckled-laced, dimpled cheeks.

 _"M-My face,"_ Wendy thought over and over in disbelief. _"She's stealing my face…"_

The plushie slowly raised its human hand to its face and ran the fingers though, letting out a delighted squeal at its newest feature.

 _"…that's why Dollie wants to be Mama. When Dollie looks like Mama, she'll never have to worry about being loved ever again!"_

"MO! MO! MO! MO!" Wendy thrashed wildly against her restraints, desperate to break free; desperate to get away before her metamorphosis was complete, but the constant pinching in her wrists and ankles, followed by the unforgiving clattering of the padlocks kept her grounded in reality. The still-fluffy hand on her navel remained unmoved. There was no escape to be found.

As her body sunk back into the mattress, Wendy's feet began to experience the same tingling, as if she had the world's worst case of athlete's foot. She raised her head, gazing behind the doll still admiring its changes, and towards her legs.

Both of her bare feet were swiftly turning from dotted-white to a dirty yellow coloring. Her wiggling toes seemed to melt together as her arches collapsed, leaving behind a crooked-oval shaping. Wendy groaned as three protruding points poked out of the tops of each foot. Her soles no longer felt clammy as all feeling seemed to vanish from the ankles down.

"I – " Wendy tested her new peds as they shook back and forth while entangled in the chains, "I just can't – "

 _"Don't worry, Mama!_ " The doll reassured its owner. " _It'll be over very soon. And look!_ " The tiny figure lifted her new feet and gently set them against Wendy's stomach where she could see. " _I have piggies now!"_ She waggled all eight digits proudly. _"Aren't they neat?_ "

"MAIT!" Wendy pleaded, muffling out any and every lie that popped into her head, "MT – MT'S MOT HMU MATE! ME HAN MAVE A HMMILY HMKE MOU MMNTED! MOU, HE, MND HMPPER! ME HAN MTILL MO MAT!"

The panda-duck sat up and thought about Wendy's offer, holding her half-finished face up with her hijacked fingertips. " _Hmm… Sorry, Mama, but Dollie likes it better this way!"_ The plush pressed hard against Wendy's gut, making her cry out in pain.

The burning climbed up towards Wendy's face, spreading into her nose and mouth. Even from behind the duct tape, the cashier could feel her lips pucker and swell, like if caused by allergic reaction. As her face grew, Wendy flinched as the sticky gag pressed against her cheeks pulled outwards, snagging a bit of purple fur along with it. Her eyes widened as she spotted the long narrow structure rising out from the middle of her face.

 _"What – what in the living hell is that?"_

It continued to grow, stretching out the duct tape and making Wendy wince as the adhesive tugged even harder. The protrusion's edge rounded over at the edge, as two small nostril-holes popped out before the tip

 _"It can't be…it's – it's a beak!"_

With one last *RIP!*, the final strands of duct tape was torn from Wendy's mouth, making her cry out in anguish. However, instead of letting out a high-pitched yelp, her malformed orifice created a monstrous new sound, totally inhuman in its nature:

"QQQQQQQQQQUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKK!"

All of a sudden, a loud *BANG!* came from the upper ceiling. The covering of the wall vent fell to the earth, followed by a orange and blue blur.

"AAHHH!"

*CRASH!*

Wendy stared in amazement as Dipper Pines pushed himself up from the ground. "I'm up! I'm up!" he exclaimed in a still-dazed tone as he stumbled clumsily back on his feet. The boy turned around, partially unaware of his surroundings as his sights focused on his bound crush at the edge of the room.

"Wendy?" Dipper raised an eyebrow in confusion at her changed appearance, "What – What – "

She accidentally let out another squawk in her excitement, "Dipper! Dipper, look out! It's – "

 _"Daddy…?"_

At first, Dipper didn't even notice the small outline sitting on Wendy's lap. His body froze in terror as the shape began to move. It gradually turned its head towards the new visitor, forcing Dipper to take a step back, "Whoa…"

The tiny speck sitting on top of Wendy had her gorgeous long hair, save for one patch of messy purple fuss. It's face was a mixture of Wendy's trademark freckles and random lavender hairs; the only smooth portion was a thin nose and lips that resembled the lumberjack princess's. One eye had changed to match Wendy's emerald ones, while the other remained a bugged-black and white.

The doll reached out towards Dipper with her human fingers as she flashed a devious smile.

 _"Look at me, Daddy!"_ The plushie proclaimed earnestly _. "I look just like Mama! Now, you have to love me, right?"_

Dipper's legs trembled at the horrific sight. His insides began to boil with nausea. His courage speedily returned as he seen the total distress on Wendy's face. Without thinking, Dipper slid the knapsack from his back, wrapped the straps in between both arms, and swung at the menace with all of his strength.

The backpack hit the panda-duck at full force, making the transformed toy smack the nearest wall with a sickening *SPLAT!* before slumping down to the floor.

" _Daddy? But why?"_

Once the coast was clear, Dipper hopped onto Wendy's bed knees-first, overlooking her from head to toe, "Wendy, are you alright?"

"Dipper…" Wendy couldn't believe she had just witnessed. "You – You came back for me?" She glanced at the fallen plaything before meeting her rescuer eye-to-eye, "So, I guess this means you believe me now, right?"

The sleuth moved upwards as he examined the bindings holding her arms, " _I always believed you, Wendy. Heck, I've been here the whole night!"_

"You – ACK!" Wendy blurted in outrage. "You WHAT?!"

He wiggled a padlock, trying his best to slide it out from the chains holding Wendy's right arm. "I kinda figured that something was wrong since the fire at the Shack. At first, I didn't know what to think, since you didn't say anything about it, but after what happened tonight – "

"But," Wendy stammered as Dipper moved to her other arm, barely missing stepping on her torso by mere inches. "But, you totally went nuclear on me! I thought – "

"I had to, Wendy!" Dipper strained with the second lock, "I figured that the doll was listening to every word. I had to act angry so it would think that its plan worked and we could catch it in the act."

"But then, why did you wait so long to come out?"

"Actually," Dipper paused as a sense of embarrassment overcame him, " _I fell asleep while waiting in the vent…_ "

"You're kidding me?!"

"No…" He shook his head, "I snuck in from the roof while you were out trying to get rid of that thing. I had a hunch it would follow you back home no matter what you did…"

"And how did you guess that?"

Dipper shrugged as he tugged at her chains, "Well, _that's the way it usually works in movies; didn't you know that?_ "

Wendy lowered herself back into her pillows, finding herself struck by irony yet again. "Just unreal, man…"

"…and I guess it got a little too warm and cozy in the vent. I didn't wake up until I heard you quack…"

" _It could have been worse_ ," Wendy thought as Dipper tried her chains again. " _He could have seen me getting changed or something…_ " She shuddered at being the thing that triggered his puberty.

"Ugh!" Dipper threw the padlock down, "I can't break these things off…" He looked over his shoulder at Wendy, "You wouldn't happen to know any tricks to get them to open, do you?"

"Kinda late for a tutorial, buddy. Dip, how is it you don't how to pick locks yet?" Wendy asked. "Dude, _your sister_ even knows how to do that!"

"Sorry, I didn't see myself doing a lot of breaking-and-entering in my future!"

"Wait!" Wendy used her head to point at her dresser, "The keys, Dipper!"

"There's keys?"

"Yeah, man," she nodded. "On my dresser. They should unlock the padlocks…"

"On it!" Dipper turned around and set a sneakered foot on the floor, only for something to latch on to his ankle.

"AAAHHH!" Dipper let out a shriek as he kicked his leg violently

"What?! What happened?!"

"It's got me!"

 _"Don't do it, Daddy!"_ The doll begged. _"You're going to ruin everything!"_

"Bah!" Dipper pulled his leg free, placed it against a partially opened drawer, and hopped back, grabbing the bundle of keys in the same leap. Once back on the bed, Dipper flipped over and climbed back to Wendy's side. "I got 'em! I got 'em!"

Defeated, the hideous doll sped across the floor and out the open bedroom door, _"You'll be sorry, Mama and Daddy! Dollie will make sure of it!"_

Without wasting another second, Dipper got back on his knees and began to stick random keys into the first padlock at Wendy's right wrist. After a few tries, a soft *CLICK!* could be heard. Wendy let out a sigh of relief as at long last, she could feel the pressure loosen from her wing-arm as Dipper unwrapped the surrounding chains from the bedpost.

"That's one…" He moved to the opposite side, and fumbled through the key set once again. A second later, a second *CLICK!* echoed through the far-too-silent room. The doll hybrid could not be heard in the slightest. The only noise that could be made out was Wendy and Dipper's breaths becoming heavier and deeper as their nerves worsened by the second.

As Dipper went to undo the second set of chains, Wendy sat up and stopped him, "I'll get this, Dipper. Undo the ones at my feet. Hurry!" While Wendy struggled to pull her other arm free, she could make out two more *CLICKs!* down by her legs. She could sense the remaining heavy links being removed as Dipper confirmed with certainty, "That's it, Wendy. You're free now!"

Wendy straightened her body, dragging her numbed, oversized feet off the bed and unto the floor. In spite of her changes, the high-schooler couldn't tell if her overall soreness she felt over her body was from her given curse, or from being tied up for so long.

Dipper put a gentle hand against her back, "How are you feeling?"

She stared down at her altered arm as she examined it from every possible angle, "Much better, thanks to you…"

The young detective forewent her praise as he helped Wendy back to her feet, "Are you going to be okay?"

"I guess so…" She turned towards her liberator, "But first…"

*WHACK!*

Wendy swiped at Dipper with her wing, " _That's_ for making me go bonkers over you in the first place!"

Dipper held his arms over his head for protection, "Wait! Wendy, stop!"

She stopped her assault and clutched her hands in aggravation, "I mean – Dude, you couldn't even begin to understand what's been going through my mind! I had no idea how I was gonna make things right with you, and now – "

As she trailed on, Dipper lowered his hands, "I know, I know! And I'm sorry! I know it wasn't the best plan. I should have done things differently! But – I wasn't thinking. I wasn't thinking through this whole thing! I just wanted – "

He looked up with same at the new form his sweetheart had been cursed with, " _It_ _doesn't matter what I wanted_ , _but I didn't want this for you_ …"

"I know, Dipper, but…"

Wendy spun around on her heels, almost having her new limbs slide out from beneath her. She saw the full-length mirror mounted on her wall. As Wendy made her way towards it, Dipper reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Maybe – Maybe it isn't the best time to – "

But the ginger ignored her friend's warnings. She stepped up to the mirror, took a deep breath, and prepared herself for the worse.

Nearly all of her lengthy copper hair had been swished away, leaving behind a pixie cut's worth. Her green eyes were replaced with hollow-looking, white circular beads with simple black pupils. Wendy's stubby nose and thinly-laid lips were now merged into an extending, yellow beak that stretched six inches past her face.

While one of Wendy's hands had been turned into a duck-like wing, her other arm was partially changed, as it was covered with as many feathers as there were freckles. Her torso and thighs grew outwards into oval-shaped versions of their formerly noodle-straight selves. She shuffled her stretched yellow feet, as she struggled to maintain balance without tripping over her own legs.

"Ohhh…" A trounced cry escaped her almost-sealed lips as Wendy lowered her head and fluffy arm against the glass surface.

"Wendy…" Dipper took a careful step towards her. He stopped as he could make out a mixture of sobbing, quacking, and cawing coming from within the tightened bundle. He placed his hand on her shoulder, "Wendy, please – please don't cry. It'll – It'll be okay…"

She rose up and shouted at him, "How will it be okay, Dipper?!" Wendy pointed at her body with both hands, "I'm a freak of nature!"

"No, you're – "

"I'm a monster!"

"You're not!"

"How can you say that?! Look at me! Look at what that thing did to me!"

He reached up and grabbed both of her shoulders, "Because it doesn't matter how you look; _to me, you're still Wendy!"_

She went to scream and holler at the pre-teen in front of her – of how stupid and naïve he sounded, but instead, Wendy fell to her knees and embraced Dipper as tightly as she could. At first, he found himself shocked by her sudden change in behavior; it was such a sudden change from her usually cool and calm collective nature. _He hated seeing her like this_. Dipper squeezed her back, as he felt her teardrops splash against his shoulder blade, knowing that he was partly to blame everything that occurred tonight.

 _"I did this. It's my fault this happened to her. I'm the reason she's crying…"_

"Wendy," Dipper backed away from his secret love, despite not waiting to break the hug, "I know things are really bad, but we have to go now…"

She sniffled, unintentionally releasing another quack, "Go – ACK! "Go where?"

"We have to find that Wendy-duck before it's too late!"

"For – For one," Wendy cleared her throat, "We _are not calling that thing that!_ And number two, why would we want to find her? Hasn't she done enough damage?"

Dipper nodded, "I know, but finding that doll might be the only way to return you to normal. And if she gets away…"

Wendy swiped her face clear and rose up back with Dipper's help.

"You're right…we have to hurry…"

* * *

Wendy and Dipper found the entrance to the Corduroy household to be wide open. They stepped outside, as Dipper leapt from the porch in a single bound, Wendy took her time, hanging on to the railing for dear life as she went careful step from careful step down the stairs. For once, she was jealous of her admirer's mobility, wondering if this was how Dipper felt when she would show with her acrobatic prowess.

"Look!"

Wendy raised her head to see Dipper in full detective mode, analyzing the still-muddy ground beneath him, "They're tracks! The person made them in bare feet, and they're roughly your size…"

Despite being impressed, Wendy couldn't pass up teasing her partner in crime a bit, "Awesome, but how do you know my shoe size by heart like that?"

Dipper instantly turned red in embarrassment. Not wanting to tell the truth about fishing her casts out of the Mystery Shack's garbage after the fire, he scratched his head and struggled to come up with a reasonable excuse.

"Oh, I – Um…lucky guess…?"

Wendy smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever, "So I see…"

Dipper followed the freshly-made tracks, noticing something unusual lying several feet away in the Corduroys'' front yard.

"Hey, Wendy? What's that doing out here?"

As Wendy finally made it down the steps, she looked up to see that someone has dragged her father's wood chipper out from the back yard and set it downwards towards the ground.

"Be careful, Dipper," she warned. "We don't know what the deal is with that thing…"

"Do you think the Wendy-doll – " A stern look from Wendy reminded him to rethink his terminology. "Do you think _she_ brought it out here?"

"I dunno, guy, but until we do – "

*SNAP!*

Suddenly, Wendy found herself unable to move from the spot. She glanced down to see that her left leg had become caught in one of her father's bear traps. While she was lucky enough not to feel the piercing jaws pressing down on her now-stuffed webbed foot, Wendy couldn't free herself from the catch, as the hinges refused to budge in the least. She tugged on the trap, finding that it was tightly secured via thick cabling to the front porch.

"I'm – " Wendy pulled on her trapped foot. "I'm stuck!"

"What?!" Dipper turned around and saw Wendy's peril. "Oh no!" He went into a panic as he raced back towards her. "Hang on, Wendy! I'm on the way!"

"No, Dipper! Hold up!" Wendy held up her hands in warning. "She's probably set up more of Dad's traps! You need to watch – "

But it was too late. Before Wendy could finish her sentence, Dipper seemed to trip over a wire stretched out between two shrubs. As his ankle came into contact with the cord, it snared him, sending him crashing to the ground.

"…your step…"

Dipper tried to get back up, only to find that his foot was pulled taut by the drawn out snag. Two blaring lights appeared before him, blinding him from his current surroundings.

 _"I warned you, Daddy!"_ A voice shouted from the darkness. _"Now, you're going to pay!"_

A loud roar boomed through the Gravity Falls Forest. The machinery in front of him sprang to life. Dipper covered his eyes, spotting the half-humanized doll sitting on top of the wood chipper, kicking her legs freely like an excited child.

 _"Dollie's going to teach Daddy and Mama a lesson!"_ She reached over and pulled a nearby lever. _"Daddy's first!"_

The machine's razor sharp blades began to spin at a high speed. Dipper was pulled out of his sitting position and down towards the deafening contraption. He narrowed his eyes pass the lights, seeing that the snare that he was entangled in had been tied around the wood chipper's central cylinder.

The more that the chipper's blades turned, the faster Dipper was dragged to his eventual death.

Dipper flipped over onto his stomach and dug his nails into the soft ground. However, his grip wasn't enough to halt the force pulling on his ankle. As the tiny middle-schooler was dragged further through the mud, he spotted a close-by sapling within reach. He threw his weight towards the baby tree, and wrapped his arm around it.

"Wendy!" He reached out towards her with his free hand. "Help me!"

"Dipper!" She switched views between her entrapped boy and her own peril. "*QUACK!* I'm – I'm coming!" She bent back down and began to struggle with the bear trap again. She used her human hand to hold down of the release latches. However, her winged arm couldn't activate the other, resulting in the claws tightening their grip on her yellow ankle.

"Damn it!" Wendy cursed as she looked back towards Dipper. "If only I had a tool or something to help me reset the springs beneath this thing…"

On the other side of the yard, Dipper used his loose hand to dig through his vent. A second later, he pulled out his truly multi-tool, and brought it towards his mouth, using his teeth to sort through the various items, until he reached his knife.

With knife in hand, Dipper stretched his leg upwards as much as he could. The wood chipper's gears began to whine and grind loudly, as it yearned to claim its unwilling victim.

Just before Dipper could bring the blade to the cord around his foot, the doll hopped down from her resting place. _"Uh-Uh, Daddy!"_ She ran towards Dipper and kicked the knife out of his hand, sending out flying into the distance. _"That's cheating!"_

By a little hint of serendipity, the lost blade landed mere inches away from Wendy's secured position. Seeing her chance at escape, the girl lounged towards the multi-tool, only to be pulled back by the line binding the bear trap to her porch. Her fingertips missed the knife by mere centimeters.

"C'mon…" Wendy reached into the distance, returning again and again with handfuls of dirt. "C'mon…" She raised her head and watched at the Wendy-doll attacked Dipper, hoping to force him to let go of the one thing keeping him from life and death. She poked and pinched him; tickled his sides, and even kicked him with her new heels, all in an attempt to make him release the sapling.

 _"Just let go, Daddy!"_ She lied as she went on kicking. " _You'll feel so much better if you do!"_

Instead, Dipper curled up into a ball as his leg was stretched outwards even further. "No! Just leave us alone!"

 _"I can't do that, Daddy…"_ the doll explained. _"You and Mama know too much! Once you two are gone, everyone will think I'm Mama and I'll be loved forever!"_

"Dipper!" Wendy looked around for an answer as she spotted her despised arm-turned-wing _; her larger than fingers purple wing._ With a desperate thought, she reached out with her feather-tipped hand and used it to scoop the multi-tool into her grasp. Wendy snatched up the knife with her human hand as soon as it was within range.

"Yes!"

She dug the blade beneath the bear trap's innards, jamming the knife against the springs controlling its release mechanism.

 _"I have to be careful; pushing too hard can snap the knife in two. Then, I'd be stuck forever!"_

With the tool properly placed, Wendy pressed against the release latch with all of her strength. After a few seconds, she felt the jaws release from her fluffy foot. As soon as it was safe, the lumberjane pulled her leg out of range as the bear trap snapped shut.

Now free, the enraged teen waddled towards the source of her agonies, adjusting her body for its new mannerisms. Upon reaching Dipper, Wendy pulled her leg back and delivered a kick that sent it rolling down the muddy path leading to the Corduroy home.

 _"No!"_

Dipper opened his eyes, seeing that his heroine dropped down to her purple knees, "Wendy!"

"Hang on to me, okay?"

As soon as Dipper took hold, the two were dragged slowly towards the wood chipper due to their combined weight. Using Dipper's knife, Wendy took hold of the cable ensnaring him and began to slice away at it.

 _"You – "_ Wendy glanced up to see that the doll stood a few feet away. " _You can't win! It's not fair!"_

"Too bad!" With one final cut, the wire broke away from Dipper's ankle and flew crazily into the distance. It wrapped around the doll's neck, hauling it into the jaws of the wood chipper.

"AIIIIEEEEEEE!"

Wendy hopped to her rounded feet and followed behind the screaming toy. Arriving at the front of the machine, she peered over the edge to see that the Wendy-doll hung on to the top with all eight fingers. She gazed up at Wendy with her own emerald eyes and beseeched her, _"Please, Mama! Dollie was only playing! Don't let Dollie get hurt!"_

The girl simply raised her winged hand back, "I ain't your friggin' Mama!" and delivered a blow that sent the doll directly into the spiked insides. The wood chipper groaned as a trail of purple and white fluff exploded out the other end, disappearing from the atmosphere as it was carried away on the night breeze.

When Dipper finally caught his breath, he raced towards Wendy, whom stood silently, watching the wood chipper's jaws moving endlessly. He tapped her shoulder, "Ohmigosh! Wendy! You did it! You –"

As Wendy turned around, she noticed that Dipper stared at her with a dumb-struck look on his face. "What?" she asked in alarm. "What's wrong?"

"Wendy…" He pointed at her as his smile grew. _"It's you! You're you again!"_

Wendy looked at the reflective surfacing of the wood chipper, startled to see that her face had been returned to normal; her hair, her eyes, her nose and smile; even her freckles were as they once were. She raised both hands towards her face, finding all eight fingers wiggling freely. The same went for her restored toes covered in the messy mud beneath her.

Before she could recover from the shock, Wendy could feel her number one fan wrapped himself around her waist. At first, she found herself surprised, but after a second, returned the favor and threw her arms around his brown-covered head.

"I'm so glad you're back to normal," he mumbled from her torso.

"That makes two of us, kiddo…" Wendy rubbed his hair affectionately. "Believe you me…"

* * *

With the battle over with, Wendy and Dipper stood at the Corduroy front door as each found themselves at a loss for words.

"So," Dipper started, "What are you going to do now?"

Wendy leaned against the door frame with her arms and ankles crossed. "I'm not sure, really. I mean, I'm still "technically grounded" and banned from work, so I have a lot of free time on my hands…"

"Well," Dipper tried to look on the bright side of things, "At least it beats being half-plushie, right?"

"Well said…" She playfully slapped his chest, "Tell you what. How about we make an addendum to our little – you know…" The teenager took two fingers and made a zipping motion over her lips.

"Okay," Dipper asked. "How so?"

"How about…" Wendy stuck a finger against her cheek as she thought it out, "…despite "this" meaning that we keep secrets from other people, that doesn't mean we keep them from each other…"

"Especially when concerning ghosts and demons and such?"

"You got it…"

The two adolescents shared a gentle laugh before descending into an awkward silence. Not wanting to drag the moment further, Dipper started to backpedal off of the front porch.

"So, I'll see you when I see you?"

Dipper turned around and headed towards the dark wood. He quietly gulped, hoping his crush wouldn't hear, as his wrecked nerves began to race about the unknown awaiting him.

"Dipper, wait!"

He paused in mid-step, and looked back over his shoulder. Wendy glanced down at the ground, as she twitched her fingers together.

"Listen," she raised her head. "This may sound stupid, but since I'm kinda stuck here, would you want to hang out here with me?"

"You…" Dipper stepped forward in astonishment, "…want me to hang out with you?"

"I mean," Wendy went on. "If you have other things to do, I understand…"

"Of course not!" Dipper's voice went up two octanes. He forced out a cough, as he lowered his tone, making Wendy giggle at his nervousness. "I mean, hanging out sounds like a cool idea…"

"That's great, Dip…"

He walked back up the staircase and met Wendy at the doorway, "So, what did you have in mind?"

* * *

"See! Right there!" Wendy pointed at the screen. "You can totally see the zipper on that monster outfit!"

Dipper let out a scoff, "That's nothing! All that blood was nothing more than chocolate syrup…"

Wendy turned her head slightly as she examined the TV screen, "Nah, I'd say it's strawberry jam…"

The duo each took a handful of microwave popcorn as they continued to point out the errors and faults of Wendy's B-movie horror collection. Wendy sat across Manly Dan's huge recliner, her long legs dangling in mid air, as Dipper parked himself cross-legged in front of her.

"Now, that girl is definitely going to get it…" Wendy noted the damsel that walked on-screen.

"Why do you say that?" Dipper took a sip from his can of Pitt Cola.

"A pretty, little thing like that?" The lumberjane compared. "You can tell she's going to do something lame, like twist her ankle while running away."

A moment later, a shrill scream came from the TV speakers: "My ankle! I can't move! And the monster's coming this way!"

"You see!" Wendy threw a hand towards the screen. "Girls like that make all of us look incompetent!" She cupped her hand and shouted as if the actress could hear her, "You can't fight monsters in high-heels, idiot!"

Dipper fortuitously spit out his soda at Wendy's comment, leading to the two friends staring at each other, before exploding in laughter at the circumstance.

"You know, Dip," Wendy wiped a happy tear away from her eye. "I'm having a lot of fun tonight. I don't really get a chance to watch these movies with anyone else…"

"Why not?"

"Well," Wendy broke eye-contact. "My brothers think these things are stupid. And the guys are no better; they can't stand me making wise-cracks throughout the whole movie."

"It doesn't bother me in the slightest…" Dipper looked back at Wendy, as his palms became sweaty. "Maybe…I mean...if you want, this can be something that…me and you can do on a regular basis."

Wendy seemed surprised by the offer, "You would really want to do that with me?"

His response was calmer than anything he had said that night, "Yeah, I really mean that…"

She grinned as she gave a playful push, "Consider it done, dork. Wendy and Dipper's Movie Night is officially a-go! Don't say I didn't warn ya…"

" I won't – "

*R-RING! R-RING!*

"AAAHHHH!" Dipper leapt up in his seat, nearly landing in Wendy's lap. The fifteen-year-old laughed aloud at her scaredy-cat buddy.

"Dude, relax! It's just the phone…" Wendy reached over and picked up the receiver, "Speak…" Her face turned serious as she held up a finger, "Oh, hey, Dad…" Dipper remained silent as Wendy answered what seemed to be a billion questions:

"Uh-huh, uh-huh. Yep, I finished. Back so soon? Figured as much. Alright, I'll see you in the morning…"

Wendy hung up the phone as Dipper asked, "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Wendy brought her knees up to her chest, "The boys are coming back home in the morning from their trip…"

"Is it because they missed having you there?"

Wendy laughed, "I wish. They said that they got tired of waiting for the rain to stop. So, they're heading back when they get the chance."

"So, no trip for anyone, huh?"

She waved away Dipper's comment, "It's not a big deal. Dad takes us on those all the time. To me, it's just nice getting away from work – err – no offense…"

"None taken…"

"Still," Wendy nudged Dipper's back with her big toe, as she sang in a sing-song tone, "I think someone's scared of the movie…"

"No, it's not that." Dipper admitted. "To be honest, I'm kinda glad you asked me to stay tonight."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think the whole thing tonight got me a little freaked about walking home in the dark…"

"Oh, don't worry…" Wendy gave her boy a gentle punch on the shoulder, "You have nothing to worry about when I'm around – "

*KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!*

"GAH!"

Both Dipper and Wendy hopped up at the noise, spilling popcorn all over the place, and landing in each other's arms. He looked up and down and asked his main squeeze teasingly, "So, what was that about being worried…?"

"Shut up…" Wendy stepped off the chair and made her way towards the door. She stopped and waved for Dipper, "Aren't you coming with?"

"Why me?"

"Because this isn't a phone call, Dip! There's something knocking at my cabin in the woods in the middle of the night. I kinda need your back on this!"

"Okay, okay!" Dipper stood up and hurried to Wendy's side, his courage returning with every step.

*KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!*

Wendy led the way, taking on of her father's axes from the wall. She handed it to Dipper, "This is the plan: I'll answer the door, and if it's something crazy, you hit it as hard as you can with this baby…"

Dipper took ahold of the axe, only to give it back a split second later, "No, you take it!"

"What?!"

He began to elaborate, "You can hit a lot harder than I can with these noodle arms. So, I'll open the door, and you hit it…"

Wendy nodded, "Good point. Let's do your plan…"

As Dipper held the door knob, Wendy stepped behind the door and nodded once she was in position. With a deep breath, he pulled the door open as a small pink creature jumped out at him.

"HEY, DIPPER!"

Both Dipper and Wendy screamed bloody murder until the light unveiled their attacker.

"Mabel?!"

"Boy," the second Pines twin walked into the Corduroy house. "You two got the jumpy-jumps, don't you?"

Wendy let out a sigh of relief, hanging the axe back on the mount. Dipper angrily asked, "What the heck are you doing here, Mabel? You scared the crap out of us?"

"Well, sor-ry!" she mocked. "I've been trying to call you for hours, but your phone is off. I just wanted to check up on you…"

Dipper went into his pocket and looked at his phone, confirming Mabel's story. "My bad," he apologized. "I turned it off earlier when – "

Wendy interrupted, "When Dip was helping me out with a few chores." He glanced at her, only to be given a reassuring blink. "Didn't mean to worry you guys at the Shack, Mabes."

"No biggie…" The small pixie looked around the scene, noting the numerous foods and movies spread around the room. "Say, are you guys having yourselves a little sleepover?"

"No way!"

"Kinda…"

An embarrassed Dipper turned back towards Wendy, who merely shrugged and returned her sights back towards Mabel.

"Well, don't let me interrupt your a-dor-able slumber party…" Mabel walked past the couple as she headed for the door. "I'll see you two tomorrow at work!"

"Um," Wendy raised her hand, "Not me, I'm afraid. Not until Stan gives the say-so…"

"Oh, that's right," Mabel gave herself a lovetap with a sweater-covered arm, "That was the other reason I came over. Grunkle Stan says that you can come back to work as soon as possible."

"Really?!" Wendy crossed her arms. "What made him change his mind?"

Mabel shifted her shoulders, "Something about "not being able to work the dang electronic registers…"

"HA!"

As Mabel was about to leave, Dipper noticed something being clutched beneath her arm. "Uh, Mabel, what's that thing?"

She seemed caught off-guard by the question, "Oh, this?" She pulled the item forward, revealing a stuffed pig plushie. "I gave up trying to make a playmate for Waddles, so I went back to the place where you got Wendy's panda-duck…"

"You…did…?" Dipper asked in disbelief as he felt Wendy's hand on his shoulder.

"Yep!" Mabel went on with her story, not noticing the horror in her friends' faces. "You were right, Dipper. The owner seems like a weirdo, but he's a really nice guy! He gave me this little boy, so that my Waddles won't be lonely when I'm not home…"

"But wait," Wendy spoke up, "I thought the store was closed?"

"Oh, he just keeps weird hours, is all." Mabel rubbed her head, "Now, that you mention it, he asked about the panda-duck, saying something about how it would eventually give you guys " _what you really wanted deep down"_ , or something like that.

Dipper and Wendy took a brief glance at one another before watching Mabel walk out the door. As she was leaving, a squeaky voice filled the empty atmosphere:

 _"Oink! There's only enough room for one piggy! Oink!"_

As Wendy and Dipper stood horrified, Mabel gave her new toy a tight squeeze, "Oh, you," she told the doll. "You say the funniest things…" With a wave, she hurried down the porch, "See you two later!"

Dipper closed the door and he and Wendy found themselves stunned by what had just happened. They walked back to the living room

"So…"

"So…"

"Do we tell her the truth?"

"Of course we do…"

As Dipper started for the door, he felt a tug on the back of his vest. "Whoa!" He landed on Wendy's legs as she resumed her groove on her father's favorite chair.

"But first, we finish the movie marathon." Wendy flashed a toothy grin, "After all, we deserve a little R&R between possessions, don't cha think?"

And with that, the pair recommenced their newly-founded tradition, taking in the short breather, and each other's company, before setting off on their next supernatural adventure.

 _(October 16_ _th_ _, 2016 – December 8_ _th_ _, 2016)_


End file.
